Morgan Rielly played a crucial role in the Toronto Maple Leafs’ season opener on Wednesday, scoring the game-winning goal in the third period and contributing an assist in a 5-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens. This game marked the beginning of the post-Mitch Marner era for the Maple Leafs, following his recent departure to the Vegas Golden Knights in a sign-and-trade deal.

Other key contributors for Toronto included Bobby McMann and Calle Jarnkrok, who both found the back of the net, while Auston Matthews and William Nylander capped off the scoring with empty-net goals. Goaltender Anthony Stolarz had an impressive showing, making 27 saves during the match. Additionally, Nylander, John Tavares, and Steven Lorentz each recorded two assists, showcasing the depth of Toronto’s offensive capabilities.

For the Canadiens, Oliver Kapanen netted his first NHL goal, and Zachary Bolduc added another for Montreal. Goaltender Sam Montembeault faced 28 shots, stopping 23 in the loss. McMann kicked off the scoring just one minute into the game, quickly putting Toronto in the lead. However, Kapanen seized an opportunity while his team was killing a penalty to level the score.

Bolduc, newly acquired from the St. Louis Blues, scored in the second period, marking his first goal with the Canadiens. However, Jarnkrok equalized later in the second, setting the stage for Rielly's decisive goal in the third period. Rielly's goal was facilitated by a strong play from Matthew Knies, who, despite being denied on a breakaway, maintained his composure and assisted Rielly, who scored with a shot high on Montembeault.

In a notable moment, Marner had previously declined a contract extension with the Maple Leafs, the team he grew up supporting. His exit was felt as he had been a central figure since being drafted fourth overall in the 2015 NHL draft, leading to Toronto's necessary trade with Vegas in exchange for depth forward Nicolas Roy.

Takeaways

Several players made their debuts for the Maple Leafs, including Roy, Matias Maccelli, and Dakota Joshua. In the absence of Marner, the team faced the challenge of redistributing his minutes across the top line, power play, and penalty kill, adopting a committee approach to replace his production. For the Canadiens, Kapanen's achievement of scoring his first NHL goal in just his 19th game is noteworthy. He became the fifth player in franchise history to score while short-handed, a rarity last accomplished by Chris Chelios on October 13, 1984.

Key Stat

This match marked the sixth consecutive season in which the Leafs and Canadiens faced each other in their season opener, contributing to an overall total of 23 encounters in this context— the highest number in NHL history. The next highest total for opening games involves the Vancouver Canucks and Calgary Flames, who have met 12 times for the season debut.

Upcoming Matches

Looking ahead, the Canadiens will take on the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday, while the Leafs are set to visit the same team on Saturday, aiming to build on their successful start to the season.