The Canadiens opened the scoring midway through the first period on a power play goal by P.K. Subban, his first of the year.
Montreal extended that lead to 2-0 when Lars Eller found the back of the net just 1:54 into the second period, but Toronto responded quickly with a goal by Leo Komarov just 40 seconds later.
David Desharnais made the score 3-1 with the help of Tomas Fleischmann and Dale Weise with 15:36 left into the second period, but once again the Maple Leafs came right back as James van Riemsdyk scored his third goal of the season just two minutes later.
Montreal scored twice more in the period, including a short-handed goal by Max Pacioretty, his seventh score of the year, but it was the play of goalie Carey Price that proved the difference as the 28-year-old stopped 48 shots on the night, sending the hometown fans out the doors with a smile on their faces.
The Leafs finished the scoring with the lone goal of the final period being scored by Morgan Rielly, cutting the lead to 5-3, but Price stopped any momentum that Toronto gained from the goal and shutdown the Maple Leafs over the final 12-plus minutes of play.
Jonathan Bernier wasn’t as sharp, allowing five goals on just 27 shots, dropping Toronto to 1-4-2 for the season and leaving Bernier still searching for his first win in 2015.
Montreal entered the weekend tops in the NHL power rankings and with two more wins over the weekend, the Canadiens will remain as the top team in the league with a perfect record and 18 points.
Washington, Nashville, and Dallas all trail by six points and fighting for that second spot in the league, but the big story of the early part of the year belongs to Montreal and just when will this team drop their first contest.
