The Toronto Maple Leafs get another shot at the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night, and this one carries a little extra weight. Toronto is back home after a late-October road trip and still searching for a steadier rhythm, having dropped three of its last four, including Tuesday’s 3-2 loss to the Utah Mammoth.
The standings matter, but so does the opponent. Montreal always seems to pull a little more out of the Leafs, and this matchup arrives with Toronto trying to clean up some obvious issues in its own game.
The biggest one is offence. Auston Matthews is still doing his part, and the first line has carried a heavy load, but the rest of the forward group hasn’t given Toronto nearly enough help.
That showed up again against Utah. The Leafs were held under 30 shots for the fourth straight game, a clear sign they’ve spent too much time chasing the puck instead of working in the offensive zone.
Head coach Jim Hiller put it plainly after the loss: the best defence is often to keep attacking. If a team is stuck defending for long stretches, something usually breaks eventually.
Toronto has reasons for the dip. John Tavares and Kirill Marchenko are both out, and those absences have forced more pressure onto everyone else. But injuries happen over the course of an NHL season, and this is where the supporting cast has to answer.
Jack Roslovic gave the Leafs something to build on with his first two-goal game of the season against Utah. Easton Cowan has also been trending in the right direction and is on pace for a 67-point season.
Those are encouraging signs, but Toronto needs more than a couple of bright spots. The middle-six forwards have to chip in more often if the Leafs want to become a more reliable team.
Montreal, meanwhile, comes in with plenty of confidence of its own. The Canadiens have won the last four meetings with Toronto, including the season opener. That run alone gives Saturday’s game a different feel for the Leafs, who would love to stop the slide before it stretches any further.
The Canadiens are also coming off a wild one. On Thursday, they beat Utah 5-4 in overtime after Nick Suzuki returned from a six-game absence and immediately made his presence felt with three points. Cole Caufield scored the overtime winner, and Adam Engstrom helped fuel the comeback by tying the game late in regulation.
That response mattered. Two nights earlier, Montreal had blown a four-goal lead against Winnipeg in what became an embarrassing historical collapse.
Instead of letting that night linger, the Canadiens bounced back quickly, and head coach Martin St. Louis had reason to like the way his group handled it.
For Toronto, the assignment is straightforward: manage the puck better, spend more time in the attacking zone, and keep Montreal from dictating the pace. The Leafs can’t lean on the same few players forever, and Saturday is another chance to show that the rest of the lineup can contribute.
There is also some lineup news worth watching. Tavares has been upgraded to day-to-day and could be close to returning.
Montreal might have a boost of its own if goaltender Sam Montembeault is ready after a month-long absence. Neither is guaranteed, but both would matter.
The Leafs don’t need Saturday to become some grand turning point. They do need a more complete performance. Beating Montreal would help, but the bigger test is whether Toronto can finally get production from more than just the top of the lineup.
In Other News...
Canadiens Took Control Of Toronto Then Had To Survive A Scare
Montreal looked in command for most of the night against Toronto, skating out to a 3-0 lead and getting a big offensive push from Alex Newhook, who scored twice in the win. For a team that has been trying to stack points and keep building momentum, it was the kind of start that suggested a tidy road victory was there to be had.
Instead, the third period turned into a test of nerve. The Maple Leafs scored twice to make things uncomfortable, but the Canadiens answered with a power-play goal to regain control and then survived a double-minor penalty to close out the 4-2 victory, a finish that was far less routine than the early lead had promised. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Suddenly Face A Risky Goalie Decision
The Canadiens goaltending picture has become a little murkier at just the wrong time. Samuel Montembeault is on injured reserve and nearing the end of his contract, while Jacob Fowlers recent play has given Montreal another name to weigh in the mix. For Kent Hughes, that means the position is no longer just about getting through the moment, but about deciding how much stability he wants to preserve for the stretch ahead.
Chicagos move with Arvid Soderblom adds another layer to the equation because it can shift the market around Montreals options. The Canadiens have already drawn trade interest in Montembeault, and any change in the available goalie pool could affect how aggressively they move, or whether they hold off and let the situation develop a little longer. [Read more 🡒]
Jake Evans Just Reignited A Canadiens Rumor Fans Can't Ignore
Jake Evans managed to stir up a familiar kind of Canadiens chatter this week when he said any player would want to play in Montreal, a comment that immediately sent fans back to the same place they always seem to land when a big-name center becomes available. The idea of Dylan Larkin in a Canadiens sweater has been floating around the edges of the rumor mill for a while, and Evans remark only gave it fresh oxygen as Montreal continues its strong start and keeps looking like a team worth thinking about in bigger-picture terms.
The problem, as always, is that the fit is not nearly as simple as the fantasy. Larkin has asked for a trade, Detroits situation keeps inviting speculation, and the possibility of a multi-team deal is the kind of thing that naturally gets discussed when a player of his stature is involved. But Montreal remains the tricky part of the equation, and until that changes, the Canadiens can enjoy the buzz without assuming it means much more than another round of offseason-style intrigue in the middle of the season. [Read more 🡒]