FINAL: Montreal 4, Toronto 3 (OT), Bell Centre
FINAL: Montreal 4, Toronto 1, Scotiabank Arena
Toronto opened the preseason with two games against Montreal on the same night and lost both. At Bell Centre, the Maple Leafs erased a 2-0 deficit with three straight goals before Lane Hutson tied the game early in the third period and Cole Caufield won it with 38 seconds left in overtime. At Scotiabank Arena, Phillip Danault scored twice in a 4-1 Canadiens win.
The split sent the head coaches to different buildings. Jim Hiller worked the Toronto game with the regulars, while Martin St-Louis coached Montreal. Each coach’s postgame comments applied only to the game he handled.
McKenna gets an immediate look
The regulars stayed home for the Toronto game, and Gavin McKenna drew the loudest ovation of any player at Scotiabank Arena during pregame introductions. The Whitehorse, Yukon, native wore No. 92 in his first game since Toronto selected him first overall on June 26. He played 20:39, took three shots, drew two penalties and was called for one of his own, finishing without a point.
Hiller kept the message simple when he discussed how he plans to handle the 18-year-old.
“I would just tell him not to overthink it.”
Hiller said McKenna is a strong enough self-evaluator to apply pressure to himself, so the staff does not need to add any this early. He said his one correction was for McKenna to “be a little closer to the puck”, explaining that NHL players must get on top of loose pucks and make plays rather than wait for the puck to arrive. Hiller also said McKenna was involved in three or four chances during a game that produced little offence from either side.
The usage mattered more than the box score
McKenna skated at left wing with John Tavares and William Nylander at even strength. He played 3:27 on Toronto’s second power-play unit and was on the ice for the six-on-five while the Maple Leafs chased a tying goal late in the third period.
Two practices into his first NHL camp, McKenna received second-line minutes and late-game trust. The role was the clearest signal of the night.
Veterans return
Auston Matthews played his first game since suffering a season-ending injury against Anaheim on March 12. Chris Tanev was the other returning piece Hiller singled out afterward.
“He thinks the game from a defenseman’s perspective.”
Hiller said he would not have guessed how much ice time Tanev logged simply by watching him. He praised Tanev’s penalty killing and called him an important player for the group.
Montreal’s night
St-Louis took the win at Bell Centre and spent part of his postgame availability discussing Ivan Demidov, who scored and attempted nine shots. For a naturally pass-first player, the decision to shoot was noteworthy.
“He’s learning to find that balance and make the best play possible.”
St-Louis added that clearer reads come with experience. Hutson finished with a goal and two assists. Chris Kreider was held off the scoresheet in 17:05 in his Canadiens debut, eight days after signing a one-year contract. That signing came two days after Anaheim terminated the final year of his previous deal.
How the two games were decided
At Bell Centre: Juraj Slafkovsky tipped Montreal ahead at 4:27, and Demidov added a power-play goal at 12:04. Henrik Rybinski scored on the power play at 3:56 of the second period, Colton Sissons tipped an Oliver Ekman-Larsson shot at 8:32, and Marc Johnstone put Toronto ahead 3-2 at 16:21. Hutson tied it at 2:43 of the third before Caufield finished a two-on-zero with Hutson in overtime.
At Scotiabank Arena: Danault opened the scoring 51 seconds into the game. Darren Raddysh answered on the power play at 16:39 when his point shot went in off Mike Matheson. Maksymilian Szuber restored Montreal’s lead at 4:46 of the third, Danault added an empty-netter at 18:59, and Samuel Poulin tipped in the final goal at 19:37.
Both Toronto debutants scored. Raddysh came from Tampa Bay on June 19 for a fifth-round pick and signed an eight-year deal in a sign-and-trade. Sissons signed a two-year contract on July 1.
Goaltending
Sergei Bobrovsky made 10 saves in his Maple Leafs debut after allowing the opening goal 51 seconds into the game. Anthony Stolarz made 15 saves in relief after entering midway through the second period.
In Montreal, Artur Akhtyamov stopped 13 of 15 shots before Samuel Hlavaj took over and made 13 saves. Hlavaj was beaten by Caufield on the overtime winner.
What’s next
Toronto has two preseason games remaining, both against Ottawa, beginning at home on Wednesday, Sept. 23. The new 84-game regular-season schedule has reduced the exhibition slate from six games to four.
The Maple Leafs are coming off a 32-36-14 season and a franchise-record 30-point decline. The roster has been rebuilt under general manager John Chayka and first-year head coach Jim Hiller. Saturday settled nothing about the middle six, but it established how Toronto intends to use McKenna at the start of camp.
