Toronto Maple Leafs’ Morgan Rielly (left) celebrates his goal against the Montreal Canadiens with Jake McCabe (22) during third period NHL hockey action in Toronto on Wednesday.Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press
The new-look Toronto Maple Leafs still have some kinks to work out, but they did just enough to beat the Montreal Canadiens 5-2 on Wednesday night to win their 10th consecutive home opener.
Auston Matthews and William Nylander both added empty-net goals in the final two minutes to distort the final score somewhat, but the home side was certainly made to work for its first victory.
The arrival of a new regular season drew talk of a “clean slate” and a “fresh start” at the morning skate. Given the way the previous campaign ended – with a Game 7 playoff humiliation at home against the Florida Panthers – and the enforced break-up of the Core Four when Mitch Marner decamped for the desert and his own fresh start with the Golden Knights, the first game couldn’t come soon enough.
While much of the crowd seemed more preoccupied with what was happening in New York – a third-period Jumbotron announcement that the Blue Jays were up 4-1 over the Yankees drew one of the loudest cheers of the night – those that were focused on the ice witnessed the new-look Maple Leafs struggle at times.
Despite the youthful Canadiens finishing 17 points behind them in the standings last season, the Leafs were put on notice – if they didn’t know it already – that repeating as Atlantic Division champions will be anything but easy.
The additions of Dakota Joshua, Nicolas Roy and Matias Maccelli have lent the team a little more bulk and length, but even combined they will be hard pushed to replicate the team-leading 102 points that Marner registered last year. However, head coach Craig Berube is undeterred. “They’re all good pieces,” he said Wednesday morning.
After being entertained by the annual season-opening appearance by the 48th Highlanders band and asked to stand a minute’s silence for late Canadiens goaltender and former Maple Leafs president Ken Dryden, Bobby McMann ensured the crowd was on its feet again within seconds.
Sixty of them to be exact.
The burly winger, who could only fire blanks for the final 24 games of the season through both the regular season and playoffs, ensured his 2025-26 season got off to the best possible start, tipping a Nylander shot through Sam Montembault’s legs for an early edge. It was the sixth-fastest season-opening goal in franchise history, although it was some way short of passing Gus Bodnar, who holds first place in the record book with his 15-second strike in 1943.
Toronto Maple Leafs centre Bobby McMann (74) shoots the puck as Montreal Canadiens defenceman Lane Hutson (48) tries to defend during the third period at Scotiabank Arena.Nick Turchiaro/Reuters
The goal injected further energy into the building, and the adrenaline only spiked higher when Patrik Laine took a hooking penalty just after the five-minute mark.
However, it had the opposite effect.
With Marner gone, Morgan Rielly is back on the first power-play unit, and as might be expected for the first game of the season, the chemistry isn’t quite functioning to its full potential. An errant pass by Nylander missed both Matthews and winger Matthew Knies, and was seized upon by Oliver Kapanen, who bore down on Anthony Stolarz and beat him over the blocker for his first career goal.
The Habs rookie – a cousin of former Leafs winger Kasperi Kapanen – became just the fifth player in Montreal’s 116-year history to score his first career goal shorthanded, and the first since Chris Chelios in 1984.
The night of Canadiens firsts continued into the second period. Stolarz was unable to corral a shot from Brendan Gallagher 90 seconds after the restart, and Zachary Bolduc, making his debut for the team he grew up supporting, had little trouble banging home the rebound.
Just past the five-minute mark of the second period, the score was knotted again. Taking a pass from Steven Lorentz, Rielly fired a shot from the point that hit Arber Xhekaj on the edge of the faceoff circle. Reacting quicker than anyone else, Calle Jarnkrok swivelled and fired the loose puck through Montembault’s five-hole.
With the game hanging in the balance entering the third, it fell to the longest-tenured Maple Leaf to put the home team back in front. Entering his 13th season with the team, Rielly was perfectly positioned when Knies, who had been denied on a breakaway, found him in the slot.
The defenceman buried his wrist shot over Montembault’s shoulder to restore Toronto’s lead with just under 11 minutes to play. Newcomer Maccelli, playing Marner’s old position on the right wing of the first line, registered the secondary assist for his first point with Toronto.
Both teams now head to Detroit, with the Canadiens playing the Red Wings on Thursday, while the Maple Leafs play them Saturday.