The Leafs Remain in the Hunt for Canadian Championship

OTTAWA -Pavel Kubina scored his second of the game 33 seconds into overtime to give the Toronto Maple Leafs a 4-3 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Saturday night.

Kubina tied it with just over 5 minutes remaining with a power-play goal.

The win keeps the Leafs within striking distance of the Calgary Flames for the NHL Canadian Championships. The Flames have a 3 point advantage with both teams having two games remaining. If the Leafs can defeat the Edmonton Oilers on March 7th, and the Flames lose to the Senators on March 3rd, the final game of the Championship on March 14th between the Leafs and Flames will be a winner take all affair.

Hockey Day in Canada

CBC's Hockey Day in Canada saw all six Canadian Teams in action on February 21st. In Game 1, Alex Kovalev returned to the Montreal Canadiens' lineup, and had a goal and two assists in a 5-3 win over the Ottawa Senators. The victory puts Montreal 3 points clear of last place Ottawa.

Game 2, saw Mats Sundin score the shootout winner in his return to the city where he spent 13 memorable years, giving the Vancouver Canucks a 3-2 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Canucks came back in the 3rd to tie the game at 2-2, and won the game in the shoot-out with goals from Pavol Demitra and Sundin. The Canucks go up by a point in the battle for 2nd place in the Canadian Championships.

The late game saw the Battle of Alberta heat up once again. The Calgary Flames came back late to tie the game at 2-2, and also went on to win the shootout with a goal from Todd Bertuzzi. The Flames tighten their grip on to top spot in the Canadian Champonships, with only the Toronto Maple Leafs able to catch them.

The Calgary Flames have two games remaining, March 3rd in Ottawa and March 14th in Toronto. The Maple Leafs also visit Ottawa, before hosting Edmonton and Calgary. The March 14th match-up between the Leafs and Flames could end up being the Championship deciding match.

Canadiens End Disastrous Western Swing

VANCOUVER - This three-game road trip began as the Ambush in Alberta, Montreal whipped 6-2 by the Calgary Flames a week ago, and drubbed 7-2 by the Edmonton Oilers 48 hours later. Last night, the Canucks jumped out to a 2-0 lead, spotted the Canadiens one goal then nailed it down with a backbreaker in the final minute of the second period.

The loss, Montreal's fouth in a row in Canadian Championship action, didn't move the Canadiens in the standings. They remain in fifth place ahead of the Ottawa Senators, eight points behind the Calgary Flames and four points behind arch-rival Toronto Maple Leafs.The Vancouver Canucks now move to within 6 points of top spot, but only have a 3-game Eastern trip remaining on their schedule.

The Calgary Flames, Toronto Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers are the only teams with realistic chances at claiming the Canadian Championships. It may come down to the last game on the schedule when Calgary visits Toronto on March 14th.

Maple Leafs Outclass Canadiens

Luke Schenn will have something to smile about when he picks up his share of the tab after the Toronto Maple Leafs' rookie dinner Sunday night. Jason Blake scored twice in the third period, and Vesa Toskala stopped 31 shots to lead Toronto to a 5-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night in NHL Canadian Championship action.

Toronto, who have won two Championship games in a row, improved to 4-2 and maintain 2nd place in the Championships.

Canadiens captain Saku Koivu believes the team's upcoming three-game Western road trip will provide an opportunity to recover the form that has led them to a 2-2 record in Canadian Championship play.

"It's time to get some bonding time and spend some time together," Koivu said. "Sometimes it's easier to really be simple and do your things and get that focus back when you're on the road and away from all the distractions."

The Canadiens have played the fewest games in the championship, and will make up those game with a Western road trip this week. The Canadiens will visit the Calgary Flames on Feb. 9, then head north to Edmonton on Feb. 11 and wrap-up in Vancouver on Feb. 15. CBC Hockey Day in Canada will be held on Feb. 21 with all 6 Canadian teams seeing action.