The Montreal Canadiens will officially start their season tonight against their old enemy, the Toronto Maple Leafs. Here's everything you need to know ahead of the game.
Nobody would blame Montreal Canadiens fans for feeling a sense of déjà vu, as the Habs will once again start their season against the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight. For the last five years, both teams have battled it out right out of the gate, taking turns winning. Last season, the Leafs skated away with a 5-2 win, so technically it’s Martin St-Louis’ men’s turn to win, but the game is played on the ice, not on paper.
If the old enemy missed the playoffs last season, the organization has taken every possible step to improve this season. A new GM in John Chayka, a new senior executive advisor in Mats Sundin, and a new coach in Jim Hiller. Behind the bench, he will be supported by a new associate coach, Ottawa Senators legend Daniel Alfredsson. On the ice, plenty of new faces will join: Gavin McKenna, Nick Paul, Colton Sissons, Teddy Blueger, Zack McEwen, Jack Roslovich, Brandon Duhaime, Darren Raddysh, Sergei Bobrovsky, and, of course, Kirill Marchenko, as it has been confirmed that he will be in the lineup tonight.
Last season, the Canadiens won three of the four duels between the two sides; the only one that slipped through their hands was the season opener, for which Samuel Montembeault was in net. Jakub Dobes, the starter tonight, was in net for the three wins and has a 3-0-1 record against tonight’s hosts, with a 1.23 goals-against average and a .951 save percentage. As for Montembeault, who will back him up, he’s got a 3-7-0 record against the Leafs with a 3.80 GAA and a .891 SP.
Meanwhile, Bobrovsky should make his first official start with Toronto and has a 16-10-1 record against the Habs with a 2.57 GAA and a .913 SP. Anthony Stolarz, who should serve as his backup, has a 5-2-0 record against Montreal with a 2.27 GAA and a .920 SP, but he didn’t start any games against the Canadiens last season.
Up front, following Brendan Gallagher’s departure, the Canadiens top scorer against the Leafs is none other than Chris Kreider. The power forward will make his official debut in the Bleu, Blanc, Rouge facing a team he’s produced 26 points against in 32 games. Captain Nick Suzuki, his linemate tonight, is the second-most productive Hab forward against Toronto, with 23 points in 32 games. New alternate captain Josh Anderson ranks third with 19 points in 41 games. It will be interesting to see how Alex Newhook fares; the Newfoundlander will get to pivot the second line in Oliver Kapanen's absence, playing with Juraj Slafkovsky and Ivan Demidov.
Unsurprisingly, John Tavares leads the Leafs in points against the Habs with 54 points in 63 games, followed by Austin Matthews with 47 points in 40 games and William Nylander with 38 points in 40 games. As for new blueliner Raddysh, he has five points in 13 games against the Habs. All eyes in Toronto will, however, be on Gavin McKenna, the first overall pick in the last draft, who is set to make his official NHL debut tonight in what promises to be a great game.
The Canadiens have won the last three games between the two sides with a combined score of 10-4, but only four out of the last 10 meetings. The game is scheduled for 7:00 PM tonight, and you can catch the English version on Sportsnet and the French version on TVA Sports. Francis Charron and Jon McIsaac will referee, while Brandon Gawryletz and Kiel Murchison will be the linesmen.
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