It wasn’t easy for the Montreal Canadiens [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens] to take on the Toronto Maple Leafs [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs] this past season, but it wasn’t solely because of the Big Four. Surprisingly, the Habs managed to keep Auston Matthews to a single point in three games and John Tavares to two points in three games as well. The real thorns in the Habs’ side were the Leafs’ goaltenders. Montreal kept a 1-2-1 record against Toronto last season and was outscored 12-5, which isn’t a considerable margin. The Canadiens’ only win against their old enemy came in the Habs’ home opener when Samuel Montembeault stood on his head and made 48 saves to secure a 1-0 shutout win. Meanwhile, Cole Caufield’s power play goal was the only one of the team’s 27 shots to get past Anthony Stolarz. Canadiens: Hage And Koivu Big Winners At The Summer Showcase [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/canadiens-hage-and-koivu-big-winners-at-the-summer-showcase] Canadiens: On The Season Sweep Of The Sabres [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/canadiens-on-the-season-sweep-of-the-sabres] Canadiens: On The Season Sweep Of The Sabres [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/canadiens-on-the-season-sweep-of-the-sabres] The Maple Leafs were ready to take their revenge in November when they took on the Canadiens without team captain Auston Matthews. As is often the case when he’s out, Toronto provided a great team effort with Mitch Marner, William Nylander, and John Tavares all finding the back of the net, but their defensive effort was also impressive. The Canadiens could only muster 21 shots, and Brendan Gallagher’s power play marker was their only goal. Goaltender Joseph Woll finished his evening with a .952 save percentage, and Toronto took a 4-1 win. The third duel was the only one that got away from the Habs when Toronto scored seven goals in a dominating performance, from the 21st minute, that is. The Canadiens had taken a three-goal lead in the first frame, which included two goals in just 11 seconds with less than two minutes to go in the period. Perhaps the Canadiens got a little too comfortable, and the Leafs went on to score seven unanswered goals. Oliver Ekman-Larsson led the charge with a goal and two assists while Mitch Marner registered two assists in this 7-5 Toronto win. The final duel was the closest one. Through 60 minutes of regulation, nobody had found the back of the net. Marner was the hero in this one, scoring the overtime goal just 36 seconds into the extra frame. Jakub Dobes made 34 saves in the loss; it was a high-stakes affair for the Canadiens, who were desperately trying to qualify for the playoffs. Throughout the four duels, the Toronto goaltenders stole the show. Woll had a 2.00 GAA and a .929 SV, while Stolartz had a 0.51 GAA and a .976 SV. Offensively speaking, Marner gathered five points and Nylander four. Both goaltenders will be back this season, and the Canadiens will need to find a way to solve them if they want to start putting up serious points against the Leafs. One player who won’t be back, however, is right winger Marner, who was the most significant departure in Toronto. The right-winger who set a career-high with 102 points was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/vegas-golden-knights] on the eve of free agency for forward Nicolas Roy. The third-line center is a good player, but does very little to alleviate the loss of Marner. His career high in points is 41 in 2023-24, but his production dropped by 10 points this past season. Thankfully for the Leafs, they managed to extend pending UFA Tavares to a four-year contract with a very reasonable AAV of 4.389 M. They also inked Matthew Knies to a six-year contract, Steven Lorentz to a three-year pact, and agreed to a one-year deal with Nicholas Robertson as arbitration was looming. They traded away Ryan Reaves, who only featured in 35 games last season, putting up two points and 28 penalty minutes. He only dropped the gloves once against Mathieu Olivier from the Columbus Blue Jackets. In return, they obtained 24-year-old defenseman Henry Thrun from the San Jose Sharks [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/san-jose-sharks]. To replace Reaves’ grit, they inked former Canadiens Michael Pezzetta to a two-year contract. As things stand, the games between the two sides should be pretty interesting this upcoming season. The Leafs haven’t replaced Marner’s firepower yet, and he was a big part of their winning record against the Canadiens. Meanwhile, the Habs brought on Noah Dobson, who has 13 points (including three goals) in 12 career games against Toronto. As for the Canadiens’ departures, Christian Dvorak, Joel Armia, David Savard, Emil Heineman and Michael Pezzetta combined for a two points in the four duels, and the Canadiens’ penalty kill only had a 66% success rate against Toronto. The wait won’t be long to know how all those changes will affect the rivalry; the Canadiens and Leafs kick off their season in Toronto on October 8. Photo credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Canadiens stories, analysis, breaking news, and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News [https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMK-q0gsw7sXpAw/sections/CAQqEAgAKgcICjCvqtILMO7F6QMwo-DfCA?hl=en-CA&gl=CA&ceid=CA%3Aen], never to miss a story. 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