The Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs kicked off the season in style Wednesday night in Toronto. They did so at Scotiabank Arena with no fans in attendance due to COVID-19. The first period was very back and forth with a fast-paced game off the opening draw. Remember, both teams entered the night having not played competitively since the bubble back in June.
Both teams saw many great chances, however, the goalies, Carey Price and Fredrick Andersen, both looked good early on, each making several nice saves. With five minutes left in the frame, the Montreal Canadiens finally got on the scoreboard, as Nick Suzuki took a shot from the point, which saw Andersen sprawling without his stick to make the save. As the puck slid into the net, that would see Montreal go up ahead 1-0.
The lead didn’t last for long, though, as just a minute later, with Carey Price being screened, William Nylander beat him to level the game at one apiece. As the game clock continued to die down, Alexander Romanov, making his NHL debut, found winger Josh Anderson to record his first point. Anderson, making his team debut, would go in alone on Andersen, beating him low blocker side to put the Habs up 2-1.
While that was all the action for the first, the Canadiens took the momentum into the second with a chance to boost their lead on the man advantage. On the other end, defensemen Zach Bogosian had been called for holding and was sent off the ice.
Montreal then made them pay, as Tomas Tatar took a chance on the breakaway with Toronto’s defence almost nowhere to be found. With the ice very open closing in, he would beat Andersen five-hole for a 3-1 Montreal lead.
That lead held late into the second when Josh Anderson was penalized, being called for tripping. That gave Toronto an opportunity, which they would pounce on, as William Nylander scored his second of the game, going top shelf on Price to reduce Montreal’s lead to one.
Just 20 seconds later, the penalty bug bit the Habs again, as Nick Suzuki was called for holding, which saw Montreal go down a man a second time. From there, things went from bad to worse, as off the draw, Shea Weber shot one into the stands, getting a delay of game call, giving Toronto a two-man advantage.
Fast forward, with just 38 seconds left, John Tavares would tie the game up at three when he tipped a shot past Price, which is where things would stay heading into intermission. The third frame was a total rollercoaster with both clubs pushing hard for the lead, as well as the win, which would result in two points. Less than three minutes in, Josh Anderson scored his second of the game, making a drive to the net and put the puck in past Andersen.
With Montreal now up 4-3, the Leafs once again came back, not giving up against a feisty Canadiens team. That hard work would finally pay off, as Jimmy Vesey, with less than 10 minutes left, would knot the game up at four, which called for three-on-three overtime. Toronto would eventually win, as Morgan Reilly, on the two-on-one, made no mistake and beat Price to claim the 5-4 victory.
Montreal now begins their western road trip against the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday night at Rogers Place. Facing off on Hockey Night In Canada, the game is available for viewing on CityTV, TVA Sports and NHL Network. It can also be seen across the nation on Sportsnet East, Sportsnet West and Sportsnet Pacific.