‘Long overdue’: Leafs, Canadiens meet again in playoffs

TORONTO (AP) — Montreal and Toronto will meet in the NHL playoffs for the first time in 42 years. It will be one of the most closely watched playoff series in Canada in years. The nation’s two largest cities have passionate fans for the two storied teams. The Leafs and Canadiens used to meet regularly in the playoffs: They played eight times between 1951 and 1967 before the NHL started to expand. They have not faced each other at this level since 1979. Game 1 is Thursday night.