The Toronto Maple Leafs entered the 2026-27 NHL season with +3500 Stanley Cup odds, and their opener did nothing to quiet the skepticism around them. Montreal came into Scotiabank Arena on September 29 and left with a 3-2 win, turning an early Toronto lead into a loss that immediately put the Maple Leafs’ new-look roster under the microscope.
Toronto had plenty of change around the team before the first puck drop. Jim Hiller took over behind the bench, Sergei Bobrovsky arrived on a three-year contract in July, Gavin McKenna went first overall in the 2026 NHL Draft, and Kirill Marchenko was acquired from Columbus just one day before the opener. The first game of the season gave those moves a quick, and fairly harsh, reality check.
William Nylander tried to carry the offense on his own. He scored both Toronto goals, including one just 48 seconds into the game and another late in the third period that pulled the Leafs within one. Marchenko picked up a secondary assist on the opening goal in his first game with Toronto.
But Montreal kept answering. Josh Anderson tied it in the first period, Zachary Bolduc put the Canadiens ahead in the second, and Alexandre Carrier delivered the winner midway through the third with a shot from the right point that got through traffic and beat Bobrovsky over the glove. Carrier also assisted on Anderson’s goal, while Anderson added an assist of his own.
Toronto came out flying. The Leafs held a 6-1 shot edge before Montreal got its second shot nearly 10 minutes into the opening period.
Nylander’s early goal set the tone, but the lead didn’t last. Anderson’s equalizer at 10:53 changed the feel of the period, and Montreal never really let Toronto fully take control again.
The second period brought more of the same. Bobrovsky denied Marchenko on a one-timer before Montreal made Toronto pay minutes later, when Mike Matheson drove toward the net and fed the puck into the slot for Bolduc’s go-ahead goal at 4:52. By the third, Carrier stretched the margin to 3-1, and even after Nylander struck again at 15:46, the Canadiens had enough left to close it out.
Dobes made 26 saves for Montreal. Bobrovsky stopped 21 in his Toronto debut. Nylander finished with both Maple Leafs goals, while Anderson and Carrier each posted a goal and an assist.
The loss also snapped Toronto’s 10-game winning streak in home openers. Hiller said afterward that defensive-zone turnovers were a problem, noting that Toronto played well in other areas but gave Montreal too many chances. McKenna’s first NHL game was a learning experience as well: the top pick logged 15:19, had one shot, finished minus-2, and said the Canadiens gave him little time or space.
Marchenko, meanwhile, wasted no time getting on the board after the trade. He collected an assist less than a minute into his Toronto debut, though he said afterward he had chances and expected more from himself.
The futures board had already put Toronto behind the top tier. On a September 28 board, the Maple Leafs were at +3500, tied with the Ottawa Senators and San Jose Sharks, while Montreal sat at +1800.
The Florida Panthers led at +640, followed by the defending champion Carolina Hurricanes at +700 and the Colorado Avalanche at +750. Toronto’s price implied roughly a 2.8% chance before bookmaker margin, and the opener showed why the market is staying cautious.
For Toronto, the next step comes quickly. The Maple Leafs host the New York Islanders on September 30, and they’ll be looking for cleaner exits from their own zone and more production beyond Nylander.
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Gavin McKennas first NHL game came with the spotlight expected of a No. 1 overall pick, and the setting only added to the intrigue. The Toronto Maple Leafs brought him into the lineup against the Canadiens, giving Montreal fans an early look at the player the rival club hopes will anchor its future after a standout run in college and junior hockey.
McKenna logged 15:19 in his debut, picked up one shot on goal and had a few moments that underscored how much there is still to learn at this level. William Nylander carried Torontos offense in the game, but Montreal left with the result it wanted and a chance to savor a first impression that, from a Canadiens perspective, could hardly have been scripted better. [Read more 🡒]
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For Anderson, now serving as an alternate captain, the moment fit a career in Montreal that has swung between stretches of production and stretches where the goals have come less predictably. He has spent seven seasons with the Canadiens, and while his scoring track record has varied, the opener offered a reminder that he can still provide an early spark when the team needs one. [Read more 🡒]
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For Montreal, the bigger picture is familiar: the club wants to keep adding talent, but the right deal has not materialized yet. The Canadiens also have their hands full on the contract front, with negotiations ongoing for defenseman Simon Edvinsson in Detroit and cap space questions continuing to shape the market. In that kind of environment, every possible move gets squeezed through a tighter lens, and the next step for Montreal may depend less on intent than on whether a deal can finally be structured in a way the other side accepts. [Read more 🡒]