NHL Highlights | Canadiens vs. Maple Leafs – October 8, 2025

NHL Highlights | Canadiens vs. Maple Leafs – October 8, 2025

and Craig, here we go again. Yeah, I love the fact that this matchup an amazing 23 times, six straight years these two have kicked off their opener. So, it’s Suzuki Slecowski and Cole Cfield, the only goal scorer in the season opener last year up against Matthews Ny and the newcomer making his Toronto regular season debut. That’s Matias Machelli in behind the net. Watched by Noah Dobson and his first key for Montreal. A chance in front of McCabe. Denied on a blocker stop by Montbo. So an early look for the Maple Leafs defense. Oh, an early great play there for Matias Machelli. His first real good playmaking ability on that one. A no look pass that created that chance. Neander stopped up at the Canadians line. New hook sends it across. Leaps will turn it here. Bonnie McMahon with speed. Knander takes a look. He finds Morgan Riley and Montbo. Zack Book being on the drum. The puck comes back to Knander. He’s not scores. William Knander fires it and leaps open the 2526 season on home ice for the goal. [Applause] the Maple Leafs last year was this in the draw. Second in the National Hockey League. This one gets tipped on the way, but it’s the draw, the second effort here by Tovaris Knander just throws it at the net and a great positioning there by McMahon, you know, getting into that seam, that little drop. You can see Montabot the scoring. McMahon was not in the opening night lineup a year ago and bumps a late season slip from last year and there’s the first test and Josh Anderson who always plays well against the Leafs has the puck in the Toronto zone. Here’s Noah Doson moving in. Put it across and Slowsky picks that up. Sharp angle shot. That’s where Anderson’s dangerous. Give him that open ice with a little bit of speed. He can make you pay. Indians had nine short-handed goals last year. May have a look here. Here’s Kaepern in. Scores. [Applause] Oliver Kaepern’s got his first NHL goal and the game is tied. Training camp. A lot of faith from his head coach. This is just some sloppy passing in the neutral zone. A fly by Matthews there. And captain I think surprise stolars here. You don’t have a read on a young guy. This is just his 19th game in the NHL. Does a great job of getting a little bit of separation by skating hard and then that quick release. Hard to describe and has a right-handed shot. Here’s Machelli. Four assists in the preeason. Nearly turned it over. Well does. And another break. New hook. New hook just missed. going to graze Stallard and have around that one knocked down. Played to the side of the leaf net right out in front and Stard down and using that big re in front. You can see McCabe falls down. Rebound there, but excellent job getting it to it. Out comes Gulie. sends it in from the red line off Stallard in front and Gallagher centers duck and it glanced off the shoulder of Stolars who turned one over. Oh, this one just takes a really awkward bounce. Goes off his stick off his pad and then as they said just now you’re scrambling and got the long stick there. Wasn’t able to control it very well. It didn’t get that stick flat. looked like he just tried not to overreact and Gallagher checked as Tavvaris comes back in the dying seconds of this first period. An assist for Tavvaris and a pass here. Riley and a chance at the horn for Toronto. Second, another example of Riley just jumping up. Had great patience. Watch the curl in the drag past the stick. gets the shot away and wow Sam Montabau just gets the arm on it as he stays as tall as he political stuff that hung around that uh really was a a special conversation you know brilliant writer and eloquent speaker he could really paint a picture with his words as you just heard there breaks Nick Robertson trying to chip it past Hudson but Hudson able to stay on the puck fired up ahead at center off Kirby Dock. It slides to Gallagher a chance rebound scores Zack Book and the Canadians have their first lead of the night. And this is in the neutral zone there. Oliver Ecman Larson an errant pass that goes right onto the stick. Gallagher just gets it to the front of the net. Bulldog does exactly what you should do. Get to the net with your stick on the ice. A rebound there. Tough one for Stallard. But you could see he lost sight of it for a split second. Couldn’t get the glove down. Buluke gets inside on Albert Eman Larson. It shows great patience there. Didn’t panic. Just past 5 minutes of this second period. Here’s Riley. A couple of shots of the first and a chance here. And the stop. Loose puck in front. Still bouncing around and Riley couldn’t reach it. Lawrence picks it up. So Riley trying to get his season going to Kelly has tied it [Music] up coming in. Lorent absorbs the hit along the boards, kicks it back, and then Riley just gets it to the front. And talk about pouncing on a rebound there. It’s not the fact Arbor Jai loses balance. And look at the reaction of Montipo had the five hole. Didn’t pick up where that puck was right away. yard has the mirror the stick of knander and not give him the pass that he wanted to. Matthews going forward on the draw back hand Matthew Ny stopped and there’s the first shot for that line here tonight and a scoring chance was going off as fresh troops arrive but a nice stick there by Book McMahon ahead got in off the post takes a couple of hard strides good hard shot beats and played back into the lead zone Suzuki hit in front Levski healed it from point blank range off the post and out at the other end. A bouncing puck again. Stolars being blanked in the opener. Here’s Suzuki. Slapovski banned on that. Got his own rebound in front. Suzuki a whack at it. 15 shots on net going the other way and try to get the intensity as the guys were talking about of this game up to another notch of the Leafs. 19 shots, nine by their defenseman, four from Morgan Riley. So both these clubs looking to get more production from the back end as this year goes along. This top line for Montreal with seven shots. Cfield’s got one of them and stopped by Stonewall. Call from Mark. Another dangerous play here by Cawfield. Just see Mat through the middle. Coughfield for Suzuki. Spins it across. It’s Lane Hudson and he just missed. Might have glanced off the post. Now Machelli got dies on a break. Matthew dies and B makes the stop in front. Riley scores. Glorious [Music] opportunity at one end. Hudson with the quick shot. Just enough of the blocker by Stallars to keep it out. Now going back in transition. No stick. And how about Matthew Ny keeps it alive. Doesn’t get the first shot, but keeps the play going. Gets it back to the middle. And guess who’s there. It’s been a night where Morgan Riley has been the most active defenseman on the Leafs. And he does a great job of going back in. Sends it back in. Joshua Toby locked it down. Loose in front. Robertson. Stopped by Monto. A big save to keep it. Montbo with a clutch stop off Nick Robertson. Off the draw. One by Tamaris. Sent to the line. Booted by Dobson. Knander ahead. Rolling wide to the net. Matthews scores. [Music] make a beautiful play on a breakaway or you get this an allimp important empty header and this is just an effort play is a battle for the loose puck about a foot left to go and Matthews just sprints it past line a reached it on the goal line taps it in and that play started with a really important draw back to the line fires it hit traffic in Suzuki tied up by Tvaris. Lorent spins it across an empty net and William Knander’s got his first of the season. Morgan Riley obviously we said how important it was for him to have a good year. Well, you get Austin Matthews, the empty net to get the zero. Montreal, one of only six teams he didn’t score against last year. He has capped what will be a 52 opening night Toronto win over their ars rivals from Montreal. [Music]

William Nylander led the offensive charge for the Toronto Maple Leafs, tallying a goal and two assists in his team’s 5-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens. Morgan Rielly added a goal and an assist of his own in the win.

POST-GAME: https://youtube.com/live/MSaMpLxg1Co?feature=share

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