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Being off for a week gave me the chance to watch many games that did not include the Montreal Canadiens.

One game in particular that caught my eye was the confrontation on Monday between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the surging Toronto Maple leafs.

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The Leafs edged the Lightning 4-3 in a superb game where both teams’ stars shone brightly.

Auston Matthews’s deft passes unleashed William Nylander on Tampa Bay for two goals, and he also assisted on defenceman Jake Gardiner’s fourth goal of the season.

The Lightning’s Nikita Kucherov scored, as did rising star Yanni Gourde.

The game was highly entertaining in a way we seldom see with the Habs.

Watching this young Toronto team best one of the top teams in the NHL reminded me how far the Habs are from being a Stanley Cup contender.

In Toronto, the Leafs general manager Lou Lamoriello looks at his team and asks himself: does he stand pat or does he get that third-pairing defenceman, or maybe a defensive centre (Tomas Plekanec, anyone?) before the NHL trade deadline on Feb. 26?