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The Toronto Maple Leafs have opened their season with a 5-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens at home.
With the game tied 2-2 midway through the third period, Morgan Rielly capitalized on two Montreal defensemen losing their sticks to score the eventual game-winning goal.
Bobby McMann and Calle Jarnkrok also scored for Toronto and Auston Matthews and William Nylander added empty netters late on.
Oliver Kapanen and Zachary Bolduc scored for Montreal in the loss. Kapanen's goal was the first of his NHL career and came shorthanded.
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What we saw from Leafs’ season opener: Rielly, Matthews shine, newcomers disappoint
One of the most dominant storylines to open Leafs training camp was how committed Rielly is to moving past a disappointing 2024-25 campaign. Rielly has talked at length about how he worked out with more intention through the offseason. And you could see some of the results: he bolted all over the ice in a way he did only in spurts last year.
It’s one thing to say you’ll be better; it’s another to look like a different player. And full credit to the Leafs defenceman, as Rielly was arguably the Leafs’ best player on Wednesday night. He was aggressive with the puck in the offensive zone and led all Leafs in shots.
Rielly scored his first of the season and the third on the night for the Leafs. He celebrated like he knew it meant more to him than maybe most of his past goals might have.
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Yes, it’s only one game of 82 in the regular season. But in front of a curious crowd, it was a night to forget for the three Leafs offseason additions making their debuts in Toronto.
Dakota Joshua was on the ice for the Canadiens’ second goal and never really looked as aggressive as expected on the forecheck. A second-period turnover and some missed passes with linemates suggest Joshua is still figuring out where he fits in the Leafs’ lineup.
Matias Maccelli looked indecisive with the puck, waiting for the perfect play to emerge and then struggling when that play didn’t emerge. If you’re the Leafs, you hope he can provide some pop on the second power-play unit. But he didn’t, and the second unit generated just one power-play shot all game. Maccelli was eventually pulled from the top line in favour of Domi.
Nicolas Roy fared the best of the bunch. The centre got in the right spots on the penalty kill. He looked steady and made smart, unglamorous plays. He was also on the ice for the Leafs’ second goal. But for a 6-foot-4 centre, Roy also didn’t exactly jump off the page. Maybe expectations around the Leafs’ new bottom-six centre should be adjusted: If he can keep the other team off the scoresheet and fly under the radar in doing so, that’s a good night for Roy.
Patience is always hard to come by in Toronto. Yet night one suggests that’s exactly what all three newcomers need.
Perhaps the most notable takeaway from the first game of the season? Concern over Auston Matthews’ injury woes last season should be squashed.
Matthews looked engaged all game and skated with more pace than he did through most of last season. After taking steps in his defensive game last year, Matthews continued to track back and make decisive plays with his stick while defending. Matthews blocked a Nick Suzuki shot in the third period and looked to be in pain afterward, but he returned.
Overall, let’s not run from the fact that Matthews’ line did not have a good night for the first two periods. But at the bare minimum, seeing how well a fully healthy Matthews moved should be cause for relief at the start of a new season.
With assists on the goals from Bobby McMann and Auston Matthews before adding his own goal in the final seconds, William Nylander now has 15 points in nine career season openers, surpassing Darryl Sittler for the third most in Maple Leafs history.
The only Toronto players with more are Mats Sundin with 17 points and Auston Matthews with 16.
TORONTO — Game 1 of 82 is in the books for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Goals from Bobby McMann, Calle Järnkrok, Morgan Rielly, Auston Matthews and William Nylander were the difference in a largely even 5-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday night.
Here’s what we saw from the Leafs in their home opener.
With his assist on Calle Jarnkrok's goal in the second period to go along with his game-winning goal in the third, Morgan Rielly became just the second Maple Leafs defenseman in the past 50 years to record at least one goal and one assist in a season opener, joining Dion Phaneuf in 2011.
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💬 Tristan M.: Two broken sticks back to back decided this game. Rotten luck. Completely different story otherwise. Oh well. Montreal will win more often than not playing the way they did tonight. Habs were the better team.
💬 Robert F.: Man, the Leafs look so slow. This year and next year we’re gonna witness Montreal surpass the Leafs in the Atlantic as a contender.
💬 Lucas M.: Montreal the better team on the whole, probably. But a close game.
💬 Robert F.: Montreal deserved a point. Leafs played like c— for two periods. One great thing was seeing Auston Matthews speed down the ice for that empty-netter, don’t think we saw speed bursts like that last year.
💬 Hugo D.: Can't wait for Laine to be someone else's headache.
Maple Leafs 5, Canadiens 2
With his empty-netter, Auston Matthews scored his 13th career goal in a season opener, tying Alex Ovechkin for the most among active players.
Matthews is only one shy of the all-time NHL record, jointly held by Michel Goulet and Dino Ciccarelli with 14 goals apiece.
The Maple Leafs have now won their 10 straight home openers dating back to 2016. Only two other teams in NHL history have posted a run of that length: the Canadiens won 11 straight from 1953 to 1963 and Capitals won 10 straight from 2001 to 2011.
That's it and that's all at Scotiabank Arena! The Maple Leafs open the season with a win in regulation over a division rival.
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P3 0:15 – Maple Leafs 5, Canadiens 2
Nylander gets in on the empty-net fun and this one is truly over now.
P3 1:32 – Maple Leafs 4, Canadiens 2
Matthews nearly went the entire game without a shot on goal but now he's got a goal! He's the first to get to a loose puck in the Canadiens' zone and sends it home to likely clinch the win for Toronto.
P3 2:00 – Maple Leafs 3, Canadiens 2
Montembeault heads to the bench. It's time for the Canadiens to make their final push.
P3 2:15 – Maple Leafs 3, Canadiens 2
The Canadiens are very fortunate to get away with having six men on the ice without being penalized, especially with so little time left in the game.
P3 3:59 – Maple Leafs 3, Canadiens 2
The third period has seen almost no stoppages, to the point that it's nearly over and we're only now getting our first commercial break.
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P3 5:55 – Maple Leafs 3, Canadiens 2
Robertson misplays a clearance and allows Demidov to steal into the offensive zone with the puck. The Canadiens keep the Leafs pinned there for an extended stretch, but Robertson eventually gets another chance to clear the puck and makes it count this time.
P3 8:49 – Maple Leafs 3, Canadiens 2
Robertson picks up a loose puck and tries to jam it past Montembeault from point-blank range but the netminder manages to keep the deficit to one goal.
Well that was a series of unfortunate events for the Canadiens. Not sure I've seen two defensemen playing without a stick at the same time before.
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