Canadiens and Maple Leafs face off in battle of top North Division teams

Toronto Maple Leafs (10-2-1, first in the North Division) vs. Montreal Canadiens (8-2-2, second in the North Division) Montreal; Wednesday, 7:30 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: The two best teams in the North Division face off when the Montreal Canadiens take on the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Canadiens are 8-2-2 against the rest of their division. Montreal is third in the Nhl with 34.5 shots per game and is averaging 4.0 goals. The Maple Leafs are 10-2-1 in division play. Toronto averages 10.2 points per game to lead the NHL, recording 3.7 goals and 6.5 assists per game. Toronto beat Montreal 5-4 in the last meeting between these teams on Jan. 13. William Nylander scored two goals for the Maple Leafs in the win and Josh Anderson scored two goals for the Canadiens in the loss. TOP PERFORMERS: Jeff Petry leads the Canadiens with 14 points, scoring six goals and registering eight assists. Nicholas Suzuki has eight assists over the last 10 games for Montreal. Mitchell Marner leads the Maple Leafs with 21 points, scoring six goals and adding 15 assists. Auston Matthews has 10 goals and two assists over the last 10 games for Toronto. LAST 10 GAMES: Canadiens: 7-2-1, averaging 3.9 goals, 5.8 assists, 5.6 penalties and 13.1 penalty minutes while giving up 2.3 goals per game with a .917 save percentage. Maple Leafs: 8-1-1, averaging 3.7 goals, 6.6 assists, four penalties and 8.3 penalty minutes while allowing 2.2 goals per game with a .921 save percentage. INJURIES: Canadiens: None listed. Maple Leafs: Jack Campbell: out (lower body), Travis Dermott: day to day (leg), Wayne Simmonds: out (wrist). ——— The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.