@ Montréal

Watching the boys head into Montreal and immediately hand over the keys to the city is the kind of tradition that keeps therapist offices in the GTA fully funded. Lane Hutson and Noah Dobson turned the opening frame into a defensive masterclass in "how to stand around and watch," while Dobson decided a second goal in the middle period was necessary just to ensure every Leaf fan’s blood pressure hit a seasonal high. By the time Josh Anderson chipped in his first of the game, the strategy seemed to be "let’s see how many defensemen can outscore our entire top six" before actually deciding to skate.

True to form, the hope-machine kicked into gear just enough to be cruel. Oliver Ekman-Larsson finally put one on the board, and William Nylander did his best to make the scoreline look respectable with a goal in the third, but it was all just a setup for a predictable punchline. Josh Anderson putting the final nail in the coffin with his second of the game is the quintessential experience; getting doubled up by a guy who treats games against Toronto like a personal revenge tour is a script we've all read a thousand times. Twenty-six shots on goal and a handful of defensive lapses later, it’s a familiar result for a team that remains undefeated in the category of making a road loss feel like a heritage moment.