MONTREAL – One by one did they file off the ice at the Bell Centre as Max Pacioretty and the Montreal Canadiens celebrated victory just steps away from the since-vacated crease of Jonathan Bernier. Wholesale Blue Jays Jerseys . The good saw the Maple Leafs pick up at least a point for the 14th time in the past 16 games (11-2-3), the bad saw opportunity to draw even with a division rival foiled on yet another blown third period lead. Rather than depart the grand old city of Montreal with a share of second place in the Atlantic division, Toronto heads home three points back of their Original-Six rival with an eye on what went well and what mightve been. "Were disappointed to not get the other one," said Dion Phaneuf of the point lost in overtime. "But we did a lot of good things." The effort was vastly improved from a post-Olympic dud in Long Island two nights earlier, one that saw them dribble away a pair of third period leads before falling in the extra frame to a struggling Islanders squad. It didnt start well. Montreal scored twice on this night before the Leafs had even managed a shot on goal in what was a sluggish opening frame for both teams. But from there, the visitors gradually wrestled some control of the hockey game, scoring three unanswered, all from the scorching duo of James van Riemsdyk and Phil Kessel. Kessel broke a 2-2 tie with his 33rd of the year – the second of two in a span of just over two minutes – dancing around Pacioretty just outside the Montreal blue-line before beating Peter Budaj with a laser far-side. "We came back from it," said head coach Randy Carlyle of the early deficit. "We found ways to create offence and I thought we had a majority of the puck time probably from the second period on so there were a lot of positives in the game." Just as they failed to do against the Islanders, the Leafs could not hold a third period lead, this one of increased importance opposite a foe just steps ahead in the playoff race. Tim Gleason took the first of three consecutive (and certainly contested) Toronto penalties, whistled for interference on Brian Gionta along the wall in the defensive zone. The maneuver (one that drew ire from Carlyle) proved costly as P.K. Subban fired a one-time blast short-side beyond Bernier, evening the score at three. "We had a one-goal lead and we took three straight penalties," said Carlyle afterward. "Now we can challenge the validity of the penalties one way or another, but we took three straight penalties." The last of which was just as unlikely as the two that preceded it. Racing out of his crease to protect a puck that was up for grabs, Bernier was dealt a delay of game offence, the second of two such penalties for the Leafs in overtime. After wiping out the first to Kessel, the Toronto penalty kill could not ultimately hold the fort, surrendering a second power-play goal to the Canadiens. Subban loaded up in this instance for another one-time blast, only his stick shattered, the puck squirting to Andrei Markov and eventually Pacioretty in the slot for the overtime winner. It was the summation of a brief, two-game road trip that could have and (probably should have considering the circumstance) yielded a full four points, valuable points lost in an ever-tightening playoff race. And so while they could point to the good of the evening, there was certainly an undercurrent of what was actually lost and that was an opportunity to catch the Habs. "We turned the tide of the hockey game in our favour for the majority of it and were going to take the positives out of it and move on," said Carlyle. "Were .500 on the road (trip) which in this situation isnt great – wed like to have won both hockey games in our minds, but this is the way it goes." Five Points 1. Dynamic Duo They sizzled before the Olympics, during the Olympics and now after the Olympics. Kessel, who had a goal and an assist for the third straight game, continues to boil at a heat hes never before attained in the NHL. The 26-year-old now has 13 goals and 31 points in the past 17 games and 17 points in the past nine games alone. "Ive said it for quite a few years now that Ive played with him, I think hes one of the top players in the National Hockey League," said Phaneuf. "Hes proving it year and year again that hes extremely skilled (and) he can put the puck in the net with the best of the goal-scorers in the NHL. I think that hes having a tremendous year and hes a huge part of our team and why weve had success." Tied for the Olympic lead in scoring and now with 69 points this season, Kessel is alone in second place to Sidney Crosby in the scoring race. He is four goals from matching a soon-to-be broken career-high of 37. James van Riemsdyk meanwhile continues to fly himself. The 24-year-old, who matched a career-high with three assists in Long Island and finished third in Olympic scoring, scored twice against Montreal. His first of the night and second shorthanded marker this season was a thing of beauty. Racing past Subban on a failed Markov feed, he burst in alone on Budaj, tucking a nifty backhand through the five-hole. "At first I wasnt even sure if I was going to even go for it, but I realized that they looked pretty tired and just kind of took off and went from there," he said. Totaling 52 points on the year, van Riemsdyk is up to 24th in the scoring race. 2. Officiating Concerns Carlyle didnt hide his displeasure with the officials after the Pacioretty goal, barking at them as he left the ice in defeat. What stuck most in his craw was the call on Gleason which preceded Subbans game-tying goal. The 31-year-old Gleason stepped in the way of Gionta just ahead of the puck and was hauled off for it. "I was under the impression that if it was one one-thousand you could take the players body if the player tries to make a play on it," Carlyle said. "I just said how do you call that in a 3-2 game and I figured I really didnt even hit him, I just kind of one-armed (him)," said Gleason of his conversation with the officials afterward, not having seen the replay himself. Further concerns were raised when Kessel was called for delay of game in the final moments of regulation. He attempted to ring a puck off the glass – and did in the minds of his teammates – but was called for the penalty anyway. "Maybe youd like to see that video review for that because you cant get that wrong at that time of the game," said van Riemsdyk. "Its definitely a tough one. Couple other ones that were a little debatable." The last in dispute saw Bernier jump out of his crease in overtime, snatching hold of a loose puck from Daniel Briere and freezing play. "I havent been called for that ever I guess," said the 25-year-old. "I dont even know whats the rule, how far you can actually get it and freeze it." The rule in this case is clear (63.2). "If the goalkeeper races out of his crease in an attempt to beat the attacking player to the puck and instead of playing the puck jumps on the puck causing a stoppage of play, this shall be a minor penalty for delay of game." 3. Slight Dip Jonathan Bernier entered the Olympic break on a roll, winning five of his last six starts while stopping 105 of the final 109 shots he faced. But in two starts post-Olympics he has looked rather ordinary, yielding five goals to the Islanders on Thursday (without much help) and four more to his hometown Canadiens on Saturday. "I thought it was actually a tough game for me," he said of a rare night with fewer than 30 shots against, Montreal mustering just 29. "They had a lot of bodies in front of me. They were hitting me quite a bit. It was a tough game. And thats one thing that when youre away from the game thats the hard part for a goalie is to find that seam and find that puck through traffic." Never in his NHL career has Bernier played as much as he has this season for the Leafs, starting his 40th game on Saturday. His performance as the no. 1 down the stretch under such strain will certainly be worth monitoring and key for a club that has relied on great goaltending from the Laval, Quebec native on many a nights. 4. Bollands Mountain Climb Dave Bolland missed his 47th game Saturday because of a once-severed and now healing tendon in his left ankle. The four-month recovery process has been taxing on the 27-year-old, who is close to a return, but not quite there yet. "Its sort of a slow mountain climb for me this whole rehab," said Bolland. "Its been painful and slow and grueling. Im ready to get back on the ice as soon as possible." Bolland is listed as day-to-day and according to head coach, Randy Carlyle, is at the stage where he, the player, will decide when exactly he is ready to return. For the Mimico native, who played in 15 games for the Leafs in October, its about being up to speed with the fundamentals, areas such as being strong in the corners and fully able to handle defensive responsibilities at full speed. "I dont want to be a liability out there when transition comes around and Im the one thats last getting back and I cant back-check because of my ankle," he said. "I want to be sure that when Im out there Im going at a 100 per cent and Im ready to play." He doesnt appear to be at that point yet, even suffering a setback in practice earlier in the week. "Thats just the way these injuries heal," Carlyle said. "Its a severe injury to a vital part in his body, specifically a tendon in his foot. When you put a skate on it, theres a lot more complications than just you and I walking around. Hes putting skates on and putting a lot of pressure in that area. "Basically its up to him. Hes got to be the guy that tells us hes ready to go." 5. Hollands Lace-Bite It was the final game of January and Peter Holland played 11 minutes in a 6-3 win over Florida. He was in pain the whole night, but didnt think much of it. "I went to sleep and woke up in the morning and could hardly put any weight on it," Holland said of his foot. The 23-year-old had suffered from lace bite before (which causes pain from skates being too tight) but nothing quite like this. "It was just released as lace-bite but it ended up getting pretty badly infected," said Holland, recalled by the Leafs for Saturdays game against the Canadiens. "I was in the hospital for four or five days with an IV in my arm trying to look after it. It was pretty painful for a while there. I was on crutches (and) in a walking boot and couldnt put too much weight on it." Holland missed four games with the injury before being assigned to the Toronto Marlies for two games. He played just under 12 minutes against Montreal, centering a line with Mason Raymond and Nik Kulemin. Stats-Pack 31 – Points for Phil Kessel in the past 17 games. 14-14 – Goal differential between the Leafs and Canadiens this season. 30:34 – Ice-time for Dion Phaneuf on Saturday, a season-high. 13-6-3 – Toronto record versus the Atlantic division. 11-2-3 – Record the past 16 games. 11 – Goals in the past 17 games for James van Riemsdyk, who has a career-high of 26 so far this season. Special Teams Capsule PP: 0-3Season: 21.4% (4th) PK: 3-5Season: 77.5% (28th) Quote of the Night "Weve had lots of those lessons. The teachers tired sometimes of bringing the same lesson." -Randy Carlyle, speaking of his teams performance in Long Island ahead of the game in Montreal. Up Next The Leafs return home to host the Blue Jackets on Monday night. Fake Blue Jays Jerseys . Felton pleaded guilty to attempted criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of a firearm. He admitted he knowingly had a large-capacity ammunition magazine and a semi-automatic pistol without a license. Toronto Blue Jays Gear . -- The Florida Gators are first yet again this season. https://www.cheapbluejays.com/ . TSN 1290s game day coverage begins on Monday, June 9 at 5:30pm ct as the Blue Bombers take on the Toronto Argonauts in pre-season action. Bombers game day broadcasts on TSN 1290 are hosted by Winnipeg Blue Bomber Hall of Famers Troy Westwood and new addition Chris Walby, alongside beat reporter Darrin Bauming, who delivers regular reports on the team for TSN 1290 all-season long.COMMERCE CITY, Colo. - The Vancouver Whitecaps hadnt experienced a loss in over two months before falling to the Colorado Rapids 2-0 on Saturday. Dillon Powers and Vicente Sanchez both scored in the first half as the Rapids snapped the Whitecaps (5-3-7) franchise-best unbeaten streak at eight matches. But as head coach Carl Robinson saw it, it wasnt that big of a deal. "Weve lost one in nine," Robinson said. "I wont get carried away." Despite the loss, Vancouver had reason to celebrate as Whitecaps Mehdi Ballouchy, Steven Beitashour and Nigel Reo-Coker all made their returns after various lengths of absences. Ballouchy played 20 minutes in his first game in nearly 11 months since tearing his right ACL last season. He tore his left ACL two years ago, and played only five games for the San Jose Earthquake before the most recent injury. "Its been a long time," Ballouchy said. "When you do an ACL, you come back, and you do it again, these are long-term injuries. A lot of players dont come back. Its been a steep, steep hill and Im happy to be playing again." Reo-Coker was back in action after missing Wednesdays scoreless draw against Montreal to be in New York for the birth of his first child, while Beitashour was back after a long trek back from Brazil, where he played for Irans national team in the World Cup pool play. Vancouver hadnt lost since falling to Los Angeles 1-0 on April 19. It was the second of a brief two-game losing streak that started with a home loss to Colorado a week earlier. "Weve lost three games out of 15. Its not bad," said Reo-Coker. "Every team has spells like this — even the top teams. Were going through it now. We have so much belief and confidencee in this team that were going to bounce back. Custom Toronto Blue Jays Jerseys. Its a sign and test of how good we are." Reo-Coker said the birth of his daughter Scarlet changed his life "completely." "Its fantastic," he said. "Its something you cant put into words until you go through." He had a less memorable moment late in the first half when he fouled Sanchez in the box, leading to a penalty kick. Sanchez easily beat goalie David Ousted in the 36th minute to give the Rapids their second goal. "It was just miscommunication between David and myself," Reo-Coker said. "I saw David coming out and we kind of hesitated amongst each other, no one really took command of the full situation." Robinson had no issue with the call. "Second goal, it was a blatant penalty," he said. Powers hit the bar in the 17th minute and put a shot through the legs of a Vancouver defender three minutes later to give Colorado a 1-0 lead. The Rapids had another chance in the 27th minute, but were turned away by Ousted. Vancouver had two solid chances in the second half but Pedro Morales put a shot wide in the 63rd minute and Johnny Leversons laser in the 77th minute was saved by Clint Irwin. Colorado had 19 shots overall to Vancouvers five. "Were going to win games where we dont deserve to and were going to lose games we deserve to win," Robinson said. "Tonight we got what we deserved." Robinson didnt play Beitashour, opting instead to give him a rest after a long period of travel. "Beitas had three flights and in total its probably 16 hours of flying," Robinson said. "What I didnt want to do is risk an injury to him. I made the decision before the game." ' ' '