TOR@MTL: A productive homestand

MONTREAL - The Canadiens gave one of the League's top teams a real fight on Saturday night at the Bell Centre.

After beating the Winnipeg Jets, the Habs went toe-to-toe with the Maple Leafs.
Despite collecting eight out of a possible 10 points during their five-game homestand, the overtime defeat still left a bitter taste in their mouths.
"The guys are really disappointed and with good reason. We're a group that expects a lot from ourselves. It's a game we absolutely wanted to win," mentioned head coach Claude Julien. "But, we still came away with eight out of a possible 10 points. That's what's most important."

The Canadiens were also disappointed that they couldn't capitalize on a four-minute penalty to John Tavares and another power play in overtime.
"We had a good opportunity in overtime and we didn't take advantage of the power play," said Tomas Tatar, who scored his 17th goal of the season in the second period. "We still have to work on our power play. That aspect of the game can help us win. We'll talk about it and watch video."
The power play did manage to light the lamp in the final frame courtesy of Brendan Gallagher.

In fact, it has clicked for three goals in the last four games.
According to captain Shea Weber, there are a lot of positives to build on.
"To be honest, I think that our power play has been better the last five or six games. We're getting results, and if that wasn't the case, we're still building momentum," explained Weber, who finished the night with an assist while logging 25:32 of ice time. "It will be a tough statistic to improve given the way we started."
A notable return
For his part, forward Andrew Shaw was playing his first game since December 31 in Dallas. He wasted little time making his presence felt by scoring the first goal of the game during his first shift after missing 15 straight contests.
His teammates were quick to praise his effort.
"He was incredible. He was probably our best player. He was always on the puck," said Max Domi, who assisted on a pair of goals in the overtime defeat. "It's good to see him back on the ice. He's an important part of the team."

Shaw also chipped in with his physicality. The Canadiens dominated the Maple Leafs in that department, outhitting their Original Six rivals by a 49-16 margin.
The Belleville, ON native dished out three of those hits himself.
"He brings a lot of energy. Everybody in the room knows what he can do," explained Weber. "He did good work. He'll be key down the stretch."

The Canadiens remain a confident bunch heading into a three-game road trip that begins on Thursday night in Nashville.
"We can beat any team in this League. Unfortunately, we were on the losing side. There are still a lot of positives to take from it, but we have to build on it," mentioned Domi.