Josh Anderson and Alexandre Carrier each finished with a goal and an assist as the Montreal Canadiens opened their season by knocking off the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 on Tuesday night.
Montreal got the job done despite allowing a goal in the first minute, and Jakub Dobes held up the rest of the way with 26 saves. Zachary Bolduc also scored for the Canadiens, who went into Toronto and ended the Maple Leafs’ 10-game home-opening winning streak.
William Nylander was the difference-maker on Toronto’s side, scoring both goals. But the Maple Leafs couldn’t turn his pair into a win, and Sergei Bobrovsky, an offseason pickup, stopped 21 shots in the loss.
Toronto came out fast and struck almost immediately. Nylander opened the scoring at 0:48 of the first period with a quick shot from the right circle, with Kirill Marchenko and Morgan Rielly picking up assists. The Leafs controlled the early pace, and Dobes had to come up with a stop on Auston Matthews from the left circle.
Montreal settled in from there and started spending more time in the Toronto zone. The Canadiens were rewarded at 10:53 of the first when Anderson batted in Carrier’s shot from the slot to tie it 1-1.
The Canadiens carried that momentum into the second period and grabbed the lead at 4:52. Mike Matheson charged down the left boards, shrugged off Nylander and set up Bolduc for an 18-foot wrist shot. Anderson added the assist on the go-ahead goal.
Toronto pushed back early in the third, but Dobes answered with a big save on Nylander. Montreal nearly extended the lead at 8:04 on a power play when Juraj Slafkovsky rang a 28-footer off the right post.
The Maple Leafs then got their own man-advantage chance, but Dobes handled both shots during the two-minute stretch.
Carrier gave Montreal some breathing room at 13:12 of the third, firing from the right point and finding a path through traffic past a screened Bobrovsky. The goal came unassisted, and Carrier had already been doing damage on the penalty kill.
Nylander pulled Toronto back within one at 15:46, finishing a give-and-go with Easton Cowan, but the Leafs couldn’t find the equalizer before time ran out.
In Other News...
Maple Leafs Just Found A New Way To Buy Cap Flexibility
The Maple Leafs have spent plenty of time looking for cleaner paths to salary-cap breathing room, and the deal they completed with Columbus gives them one more lever to work with. The trade sent Matthew Knies to the Blue Jackets while bringing back the contracts of Elvis Merzlikins and Miles Wood, a swap that changes the books in a meaningful way and adds another layer to how Toronto can manage its roster now and beyond.
What makes this one stand out is the way long-term injured reserve can help soften the immediate cap hit for Toronto, turning the move into more than a simple player-for-player transaction. There are also contract extensions tied into the deal that affect future seasons without changing the current one, which is exactly the kind of structure front offices use when they want flexibility without giving up the ability to reshape the roster later. [Read more 🡒]
Maple Leafs Suddenly Face A Season Opener Lineup Question
The Maple Leafs may be dealing with a familiar kind of early-season inconvenience, only this one comes with a roster wrinkle they did not expect. Kirill Marchenko, recently acquired in a trade, could be unavailable for the upcoming game against the Montreal Canadiens while the club waits on the Canadian work visa process to clear up.
For a team trying to get settled heading into the opener, the uncertainty leaves at least one spot in limbo. Toronto is still awaiting further updates on Marchenkos status, and until there is word on the visa, the Leafs have to prepare as if they may be without a player they had planned to have available right away. [Read more 🡒]
Leafs GM Finally Explained The Logic Behind Torontos Knies Shocker
John Chayka took the microphone to explain one of the more eye-catching moves in Torontos recent roster reshuffle, the deal that sent Matthew Knies to the Columbus Blue Jackets and brought Kirill Marchenko and two other players back the other way. The Maple Leafs general manager framed the move around Marchenkos skill set, his contract extension, and the way his game is supposed to fit with the group, while also making clear that Toronto still valued what Knies and Steven Lorentz had brought to the organization.
What made the explanation linger was the financial side of it, since Marchenkos contract was part of the logic Chayka leaned on as he talked through the teams next steps. For a club that is always balancing top-end talent with long-term flexibility, the trade feels like the kind of bet that only makes sense when the roster plan is viewed through a wider lens, and Chayka left enough of that blueprint on the table to keep the move under scrutiny. [Read more 🡒]