- No Kaiden Guhle for this game. He reportedly received some treatment ahead of practice this morning and was unable to play tonight. Hopefully he’ll be good to go on Saturday.
First period
- After a sloppy start to the game, the first goal goes to the Toronto Maple Leafs as Scott Laughton steams down the wing and beats Samuel Montembeault far-side.
- The top line just continues to have a bit of fun in their offensive-zone shifts. Trying some skilled plays near the goal line.
- … Like a spinning backhand pass across the crease by Nick Suzuki on the next shift.
- The defence can’t keep track of Laughton as he speeds into the score another one. This time it was the pairing of Mike Matheson and Noah Dobson, not an AHL duo like the first one.
- As long as that gets Montreal to play with a bit more effort, it will be fine.
- Montreal draws the game’s first power play, so we’ll see if that serves as inspiration.
- Matheson fakes a shot to open a lane then fires the puck past Dennis Hildeby. That will make up for losing Laughton on the second goal.
Mike Matheson hits the pump fake, then rips one home on the power play
— Scott Matla (@scottmatla.bsky.social) September 25, 2025 at 8:37 PM
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- On the next shift, Jared Davidson takes a delayed penalty, Montembeault loses his stick, and Toronto adds a third goal.
- Patrik Laine heads off for slashing as Toronto seeks a fourth.
- The period ends with Montreal down a couple. I wonder if we’ll see Fowler at the start of the third after a three-goal outing against Montembeault.
Second period
- An early penalty gets called on Toronto after Ivan Demidov was hooked trying to skate the puck up the ice.
- Demidov whips a pass from the bottom of the right circle to Laine at the left dot, and Hildeby had no chance of seeing that shot let alone stopping it.
Ivan Demidov makes it look easy as he sets up Patrik Laine for a power play goal
— Scott Matla (@scottmatla.bsky.social) September 25, 2025 at 9:12 PM
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- Florian Xhekaj is heading to the penalty box for boarding Easton Cowan. A shove in the back into the boards will do that.
- A deflection off Stephen Lorentz’s toe makes it a 4-2 game as they score a power-play goal of their own.
- Michael Pezzetta crunches Nate Clurman in the boards from behind. For some reason that more vicious hit goes uncalled.
- Lorentz bats in another one in front of Demidov, and it’s 5-2.
- Demidov is visibly upset himself even after a TV timeout for allowing that goal to happen.
- Montembeault stays in the net after the mid-period break despite allowing five goals on 11 shots. Some tough deflections in the second period and unhelpful defence in the first didn’t help him, and fortunately there are no points available for tonight’s result.
- Just like the AHL refs, these NHL ones have decided that Florian needs to spend most of his time in the penalty box. At the same time, he doesn’t need to be grabbing players’ chinstraps after whistles. He can deny the refs the opportunity to make those calls.
- Rohrer uses his speed to draw a penalty. He’s been good this pre-season and will come back next year looking to claim a spot.
- Through two periods Montreal has nine shots, and that’s with three full power plays. I think the players might be in for a hard practice tomorrow.
Third period
- Montembeault is out and Jacob Fowler is in the begin the third period.
- Noah Dobson is apparently also out to start this period.
- Matt Benning gets the puck as not of Montreal’s five players can, and it’s 6-2 as he blasts it past Fowler.
- The Canadiens have announced that Dobson won’t be returning tonight. Did the team add an injury to this insult?
- Matheson draws a power play from a stick on the back of his neck, so the Habs can at least try to reduce the deficit.
- Dach’s knee looks fine to me in this game. He seems to be able to race to loose pucks.
- And he just did a spin-o-rama on a drive down the wing. I think he’s feeling good.
- Another Canadiens power play. At least they’re playing well enough to draw them.
- Ryan Tverberg beats Fowler on a shot that doesn’t normally beat Jacob Fowler.
- David Reinbacher is now missing from the bench, leaving the team with four defencemen.
- Final tally: Toronto, seven goals; Montreal, 13 shots.
- Montreal will head to Toronto for a rematch on Saturday, and I bet the effort level will be much higher in that one.
