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The Montreal Canadiens opened their NHL season with a 3-2 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on home ice in Toronto, delivering an encouraging start to what many expect to be a pivotal year for the franchise. The win came despite a shaky opening to the game and highlighted both the team’s strengths and areas that still need work.
Canadiens Find Their Footing After Slow Start
Toronto struck first, and it came quickly. Nick Suzuki lost a battle at the blue line, allowing William Nylander to skate in untouched. Noah Dobson had a chance to challenge Nylander but backed off, and Nylander fired the puck under the bar just 48 seconds into the game. Montreal found itself trailing almost immediately.
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The slow start was not an isolated incident. The Maple Leafs dominated the opening eight minutes with a 7-1 shot advantage. This pattern of flat starts has followed the Canadiens for some time, and it resurfaced in game one of the new season.
However, Montreal settled down and began to assert themselves. Josh Anderson opened the scoring for the Canadiens with an intelligent play. A shot from Alexandre Carrier bounced high off the crossbar, above the legal zone. Anderson waited patiently for the puck to drop back into play before converting. It was a disciplined moment. The goal was set up by Kirby Dach, who drew criticism during the pre-season but delivered when it mattered.
In the second period, Zachary Bolduc put Montreal ahead. Mike Matheson drove hard to the net, and the rebound found Bolduc, who batted it home. Both goals followed the same effective formula — shoot on net and crash for the rebound. Alexandre Carrier then extended the lead in the third period. A Maple Leafs giveaway put the puck on his stick at the point, and he guided a 55-foot shot past Sergei Bobrovsky, who never saw it coming.
Dobes Delivers a Composed Performance in Goal
Jakub Dobes was quietly outstanding between the pipes. He looked calm and confident throughout the game. His demeanor was steady, and his positioning was sharp. Dobes posted a Goals Saved Above Expected of .48, a strong number that reflected his quality without overstating it. He did not steal the game, but he certainly kept Montreal in it at key moments.
Philip Danault and Jake Evans made life difficult for their Toronto counterparts. Meanwhile, Ivan Demidov and Juraj Slafkovsky did not register points, but the two connected well on the ice and showed promising chemistry. Demidov, in particular, looked ready to take a significant step forward this season. The third defensive pairing of Jayden Struble and Arber Xhekaj also appeared more settled and confident than in previous outings.
Not everything clicked, though. The top line of Suzuki and Cole Caufield was quiet offensively. Head Coach Martin St. Louis prefers Slafkovsky on the second line, but that leaves the first line without a natural replacement. Chris Kreider will need time to build chemistry with Suzuki and Caufield. In the final minute, Montreal also fell into a familiar passive pattern when defending against the extra attacker. They allowed Toronto to press and survived, but the approach remains a concern.
Rising Expectations Surround the Canadiens Rebuild
This season brings a different kind of pressure to Montreal. In each of the previous two years, the Canadiens outperformed low expectations. Two seasons ago, analysts predicted 75 points and a bottom-five finish. Instead, Montreal earned 91 points and made the playoffs. Last season, predictions stalled at 91 points again, but the Canadiens surged to 106 points and reached the final four in the playoffs.
This year, no one expects them to surprise anyone. In fact, some analysts are predicting the Canadiens will contend for the Stanley Cup — a bold forecast given that no Canadian team has won the Cup since 1993. For the first time in this rebuild, the expectations are high rather than low.
At present, the roster is not quite complete. The team lacks a proven second-line centre and a right-side defender. Those are significant gaps. Without addressing them, Montreal could finish around 100 points — a strong season, but likely not enough for a championship run.
General Manager Hughes Holds the Key
The reason many analysts remain optimistic is General Manager Kent Hughes. Hughes has salary cap space available, which puts Montreal in a strong position as the season progresses. Many clubs around the league will not have the financial flexibility to improve their rosters mid-season. Others will look to sell as their playoff hopes fade.
As January and February approach, Hughes is expected to target a second-line centre and a right-side defender. If he fills those two positions, Montreal will have a complete roster. That is the scenario driving the Stanley Cup predictions from some quarters.
Whether a championship is realistic this season remains to be seen. The timeline is aggressive. Nevertheless, the Canadiens showed enough in their opening win over the Maple Leafs to suggest this will be an exciting season for their supporters, regardless of where it ultimately ends.
