TORONTO (AP) -- After handing Montreal a setback, the Toronto Maple Leafs backed the Canadiens' drive for the playoffs.

Igor Korolev, Jonas Hoglund, Steve Thomas and Nik Antropov had Toronto goals in its 4-3 victory Saturday night over the Canadiens.

	Toronto's Igor Korolev had a short-handed goal in the first period.

"They're still alive and, hopefully, they'll make it," Leafs forward Tie Domi said of Montreal. "I like to see the Canadian teams in there."

Toronto, which led 4-1 had to hold off the determined Canadiens to maintain a three-point lead over Ottawa in the NHL's Northeast Division.

Benoit Brunet had two goals and Eric Weinrich scored for the Canadiens, tied with Buffalo for third place in the Northeast Division and ninth place in the Eastern Conference. The teams are three points behind the New York Rangers.

"If they make it, they could surprise a lot of teams," Leafs captain Mats Sundin said.

Leading 1-0, Montreal goalie Jeff Hackett skated 40 feet out of his crease after a loose puck. Darcy Tucker got a stick on it first and the puck bounced to Korolev in the middle of the zone. Korolev whipped it into the vacated net as Hackett scurried back too late.

Hackett again was out of his crease when Hoglund put Toronto up 2-1 at 13:09.

The goalie went behind the net to stop the puck and tried to clear it along the boards with Steve Thomas skating towards him. Thomas blocked the clearing attempt with a hip, the puck ricocheting onto Hoglund's stick. Hoglund scored from a near-impossible angle before Hackett could get back into position.

Curtis Joseph made 26 saves for his 29th win.

"A couple of unfortunate breaks put us behind early but other than that I thought we competed really hard," Montreal forward Turner Stevenson said. "We outchanced them during the second half of the game but Cujo held them in."

The Leafs pulled away with two goals in 44 seconds in the second period. Antropov lifted the stick of Patrice Brisebois to gain possession of the puck in front of Hackett and put in his own rebound at 10:26.

Then on a power play, Thomas deflected in Alexander Karpovtsev's shot.

Brunet got one back at 11:15 after he was set up by Saku Koivu. Brunet's second goal, on the power play at 13:53 of the third, made for an exciting finish.

Weinrich opened the scoring, on a power play at 5:19 of the first, with his third goal this season.