Call of the Wilde: Montreal Canadiens start the season with a tight victory over the Maple Leafs in Toronto

For the first time in NHL history, it’s 84 games from start to finish for the regular season. The most exciting night might just be the first one. The Montreal Canadiens drew the Maple Leafs in Toronto and it was a match-up that Montreal has struggled with, but not this time. The Canadiens posted a tight 3-2 win.

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Josh Anderson picked it up right where he left off after an outstanding playoffs run. Anderson counted the Canadiens first goal of the season on an intelligent play. The rebound off of an Alexandre Carrier shot had gone high – higher than the crossbar. Anderson knew he had to wait for it to fall enough for it to be legal. This sounds like a routine play, but it’s remarkable how often the player doesn’t wait, even though he knows the rule.

The goal was set up by Kirby Dach who made his first good play in September. Dach was awful in pre-season games, and the fan base was not happy with him. However, one point to remember when it comes to veterans who have already won their spot on the roster as he had; the player doesn’t want to put too much risk into anything with nothing on the line, especially Dach who probably gets injured getting out of bed.

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The Canadiens took the lead in the second period on a Zachary Bolduc tally. Mike Matheson did the work taking it to the net. The rebound of his work went to Bolduc who batted it home. Both tallies with the familiar goal-scoring pattern of shoot it on net, even if it’s harmless, but then crash the net to hunt down the far more dangerous rebound.

Montreal solidified the lead in the third period. It’s a simple giveaway by the Maple Leafs that found Carrier with a point shot. He didn’t try to power it home, but guide it on goal, and it worked as Sergei Bobrovsky never saw the 55 footer.

There were also many fine small moments worth noting. Chris Kreider can dispossess defenders with ease. All four of the Canadiens lines are capable of excellence on any given night. The third pairing of Jayden Struble and Arber Xhekaj looked more confident, and less anxious.

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Jakub Dobes was quietly a number one goalie. Dobes was extremely sharp. It also felt calm. He had a quiet demeanour. He seemed extremely sure of himself, and he was still. Dobes had a Goals Saved Above Expected of  .48. Dobes didn’t steal it, but he certainly borrowed it.

Philip Danault and Jake Evans made it a tough night for their opposites. Depth is a strength of the Canadiens. Ivan Demidov and Juraj Slafkovsky didn’t put any points on the board, but they linked up to find each other beautifully. Demidov looked ready to take the next step this season.

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As strong as the 2025-2026 season was for the Canadiens, they had a massive weakness with their starts. It was no different in game one of the new season. Nick Suzuki was beaten at the blue line allowing William Nylander to skate in untouched.

Noah Dobson had a chance to challenge Nylander before he closed in toward Dobes, but Dobson backed up until the quality of the Nylander shot was high percentage. He fired it under the bar and 48 seconds in, the Canadiens were playing from behind again.

This has been an issue for a long time.  The Canadiens have to figure out why they start so flat. It wasn’t just the goal either. The bad start continued as the Maple Leafs had a 7-1- shot advantage after eight minutes.

Not many negatives on the evening, but the top line didn’t create as much as was expected. Suzuki and Cole Caufield were quiet offensively. Head Coach Martin St. Louis loves to have Slafkovsky on the second line, but when he leaves the first line, they can’t find a replacement. Kreider needs some time to figure out the games of Suzuki and Caufield.

In the last minute, the Canadiens continued with another negative pattern from last season. Defending the extra attacker, the Canadiens are far too passive. Montreal went into a defensive shell and allowed the pressure to come to them. They survived it, though, so that’s better than most occasions last campaign.

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It’s a new dynamic this season for the Canadiens. For the last two seasons, they operated as underdogs. Two years ago, they were predicted for 75 points to finish bottom five in the league; instead, they captured 91 points and made the playoffs. Last season, it was the same script. The Canadiens were predicted to stagnate at 91 points, but Montreal rocketed to 106 points to make the playoffs easily. They then went on to even greater heights by making the final-four in the playoffs.

However, this season, it’s a completely different challenge for Montreal. Whereas the last two years they were underdogs overachieving, this year they will surprise no one. In fact, the pundits are expecting a tremendous amount from this young group in Montreal.

The expectations from some are that they will win the Stanley Cup. That’s quite a prediction considering now team has won the cup from Canada since 1993. For the first time in this rebuild, the pressure is on to perform.

Can they reach these lofty predictions? At this moment, no. They don’t have the roster required. The club is short a second-line centre and a right side defender. Those are two massive holes, and the Canadiens have to fill them, or they will finish at 100 points. That’s a strong season, but it doesn’t align them for the cup.

There is a caveat, though, in the prognostications. It’s the salary cap, and the magician who handles the money and the acquisitions. General Manager Kent Hughes is the primary reason that the pundits are betting on the upside.

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Hughes has room in the cap. He has the resources to acquire when the timing is right. Half of the league won’t have the salary room to acquire players to improve their roster. The other half will be looking to pounce on the weak.

As the season rolls on, many clubs will realize they don’t have the talent to compete, and they will begin their attempt to sell. They will find that only the strong teams that also have cap room will be in a buying mood. It will be a buyer’s market, and Hughes will take advantage of it.

It is in January and February that Hughes has the opportunity to fill the second-line centre spot, and the right side defending spot. When he does that, he will have a complete roster. That’s why the cup is predicted by some.

It will be interesting to see how it plays out. Perhaps a cup isn’t in the works in this rebuild just yet. It’s a fast timeline for this prediction. However, what can be predicted, for certain, is that this is going to be an exciting year of hockey for fans of the Montreal Canadiens.

Brian Wilde, a Montreal-based sports writer, brings you Call of the Wilde on globalnews.ca after each Canadiens game.