MONTREAL — The Toronto Maple Leafs suffered a 5-2 defeat against the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday, continuing their struggles with just one win in their last eight games. The loss came amid a festive atmosphere, with a Santa Claus parade taking place nearby the Bell Centre.

The Canadiens, who have also been struggling, took advantage of the Maple Leafs' mistakes. Toronto's defense faltered, leading to a series of turnovers that allowed Montreal to score four unanswered goals. Joseph Woll, the Leafs' goaltender, was pulled midway through the second period after the Canadiens took a commanding 4-0 lead.

Coach Craig Berube expressed frustration with his team's performance, particularly in the second period. "We go out there and we don’t play with any urgency or any confidence for the second period. This is a veteran hockey team. It’s inexcusable. It’s on me, too; it’s on all of us. With a veteran team like that, that shouldn’t happen," he said.

Despite goals from Oliver Ekman-Larsson and William Nylander, the Leafs struggled to maintain momentum. They fell behind early, giving up the first goal for the 14th time this season. The Canadiens scored their first goal short-handed, capitalizing on a turnover by Jake McCabe. Lane Hutson finished a cross-zone pass from Nick Suzuki to put Montreal on the board.

The second goal came from Noah Dobson, who fired a shot from the point that left Woll with little chance to respond. The Leafs' inability to recover from early deficits has become a concerning trend, as they have only won two of the seven games in which they trailed after the first period.

Woll had been performing well since returning from personal leave and a conditioning stint, but Saturday marked his fourth game in eight nights. Berube acknowledged the heavy workload, stating, "Not lately, not yet. We’re not there yet," before ultimately deciding to replace Woll with Dennis Hildeby after the Canadiens' fourth goal.

"Woll was excellent," Berube said post-game. "I pulled him (because) we were just giving freebies to them. I’d had enough."

The game featured a physical tone, with both teams looking to assert themselves amid their struggles. The Canadiens called up forward Florian Xhekaj, who made his NHL debut alongside his brother, Arber Xhekaj. In response, Berube added Sammy Blais to the lineup, anticipating a more aggressive game.

Injuries continue to plague the Maple Leafs, as they were without key players Auston Matthews, Matthew Knies, Nicolas Roy, Chris Tanev, Brandon Carlo, and Anthony Stolarz. Defenseman Jake McCabe also left the game due to an upper-body injury.

The Leafs will look to regroup as they prepare for their next game against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Wednesday. Both Matthews and Knies participated in the morning skate and could return to the lineup for that matchup.