The Montreal Canadiens will have to wait a little bit longer to exact revenge on the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Tomas Kaberle scored a power-play goal at 3:26 of overtime to lift the Leafs to an exciting 4-3 win over the Canadiens in Toronto on Saturday.

Toronto defenceman Hal Gill tries to clear Montreal's Michael Ryder off the puck during the first period on Saturday.
(Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press)

It was Toronto's first win this NHL season, after losing back-to-back contests to the Ottawa Senators in its first two games.

It was also the first enounter between the historic rivals since April 7, when the Leafs came back from an early deficit for a 6-5 win, eliminating Montreal from playoff contention on the final weekend of regular play.

On Saturday, Toronto killed off all six Montreal power plays, including an interference call with 1:48 left in regulation and a high-sticking minor in overtime, before Kaberle scored with Canadiens defenceman Francis Bouillon in the penalty box for holding.

"We never gave up.… It was fast paced [out there], and we knew after the second period we had to leave everything out there and we did," Kaberle told Hockey Night in Canada after the game.

Alexei Ponikarovsky chipped in with two goals for Toronto, and captain Mats Sundin collected three assists.

With the Leafs trailing 3-1, Ponikarovsky was bumped up to Sundin's line late in the second period and scored two quick goals to tie the score, setting the stage for Kaberle's overtime heroics.

"Finally," Ponikarovsky said of the win. "We worked hard for it. The first two games we've been working hard but we didn't get the results we wanted."

Toronto goalie Vesa Toskala was solid, making 25 saves in his debut for the Leafs.

"He's a great goaltender, there's no question about it," said Leafs forward Jason Blake. "He played outstanding tonight. He was the difference-maker and it was good to see."

Habs strike first

Montreal opened the scoring at the Air Canada Centre at 2:43, when Mathieu Dandenault crashed the net and shovelled the puck in off a goal-mouth scramble. Toronto's Ian White tied it less than two minutes later, wiring a slap shot from the point past Cristobal Huet.

The Canadiens took a penalty early in the second period, but Habs defenceman Andrei Markov scored a short-handed goal at 6:05, firing from the slot after collecting a pass from Chris Higgins, who fought Kaberle in the corner.

Andrei Kostitsyn made it 3-1 for Montreal at 16:33 on a pretty setup by Alexei Kovalev. But Toronto drew a goal back with a minute left in the period when Ponikarovsky found the back of the net, capitalizing on a botched clearance by Huet.

The Leafs continued to press and levelled the score at 2:55 of the third. Sundin stripped Habs defenceman Andrei Markov of the puck and quickly fed a pass out front to Ponikarovsky, who beat Huet with a low shot.

After killing off a Montreal power play early in overtime, Toronto had the man advantage when Bouillon was called for holding and the Leafs sealed the win when Kaberle blasted a Sundin pass by Huet.

It was the Leafs' first power-play goal of the season after going 0-for-17 with the man advantage.

"They were a desperate team — you could feel the tension," Montreal captain Saku Koivu said.

Two of Montreal's top rookies, forward Kyle Chipchura and goalie Carey Price, are still waiting to make their respective debuts, as both players did not crack the Canadiens' starting lineup.

Sundin remained tied with Darryl Sittler for the team franchise lead in goals at 389. He's only one point shy of Sittler's club-leading 916 points.

The Leafs host the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday. Montreal returns to the ice Wednesday, facing Sidney Crosby and the Penguins in Pittsburgh.

With files from Canadian Press