Canadiens Lineup

Cole Caufield – Nick Suzuki – Josh Anderson

Sean Monahan – Kirby Dach – Mike Hoffman

Juraj Slafkovsky – Christian Dvorak – Brendan Gallagher

Rem Pitlick – Jake Evans – Evgenii Dadonov

Kaiden Guhle – David Savard

Arber Xhekaj – Chris Wideman

Jordan Harris – Johnathan Kovacevic

Jake Allen – Sam Montembeault

Jonathan Drouin, Michael Pezzetta

Carey Price (knee), Paul Byron (hip), Joel Edmundson (back), Logan Mailloux (shoulder), Emil Heineman (finger), Mike Matheson (lower-body), Joel Armia (upper-body)

Game Report

What a satisfying start to the season! It was a thoroughly entertaining night for 21,105 Habs fans at the Bell Centre and many, many more at home. No matter the expected projections for these two teams, the historic rivalry between the Canadiens and Leafs ensured that an opening night game was going to be close, and it was.

For Montreal, there were more questions than answers when the game began after coming off a winless pre-season schedule. But tonight, it was a perfect blend of youth and experience that led the way for the Canadiens first win of the season.

Kaiden Guhle led the team in ice-time with 22:34. Yes, that’s the same Kaiden Guhle who was playing in the WHL at this time last season. Jordan Harris also played very well with an assist on four shots in playing just shy of 20 minutes. Harris was patrolling a blueline for Northeastern last October in the NCAA.

The newly-arrived defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic led the Canadiens with six hits and veteran David Savard had nine of Montreal’s 23 blocked shots.

Up front, the Canadiens top line of Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield and Josh Anderson provided most of the offence. But teammates were happiest for the first goal in a Canadiens jersey by Sean Monahan, particularly after working his way back to the ice following season-ending surgery on his right hip last April.

Rookie Laps

Juraj Slafkovsky passed his first test. He played just 10:34 of sheltered minutes against a powerful Leafs lineup, and other than a few panicked turnovers, acquitted himself well, notably drawing a penalty by Rasmus Sandin. Slafkovsky was cheered on by his Dad, Filip Mesar and fellow Slovak Richard Zednik, who played for the Canadiens for four seasons.

The unexpected victory was a nice start to the season which promises to be rocky. But Habs fans have embraced the youth movement. And they were rewarded watching a truly admirable performance from Guhle, while Slafkovsky and Arber Xhekaj demonstrated that their learning curve may be steeper.

It was the first time since October 7, 1995 that the Montreal Canadiens had three players making their NHL debuts in a season opener. Fans roared with approval.

Special Moment

But the Bell Centre decibel meter reached its highest levels in the pre-game introductions before the puck was dropped. Carey Price received an extended standing ovation and chants of ‘CA-REY, CA-REY’ as he was introduced.

Asked about Price, Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner had this to say, “I’ve watched Carey play for a long time, whether it’s at the World Cup, the Olympics or even the Junior World Championship. He has always been special to watch. He knew he could make his opponents’ night difficult. He’s quite a competitor. Obviously, hockey misses Carey. But life and family must come before hockey. The most important thing is to take care of yourself and to be respectful and present for the people you love.”

Post-game, Brendan Gallagher said this about Price, “If I had my vote, there would be statue of him built pretty soon outside of the building.”

Up Next

Plus

Minus

▼  Evgenii Dadonov, Chris Wideman, Brendan Gallagher

Game Preview

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