TORONTO — September 29, 2026: The Montreal Canadiens opened the 2026–27 season with a 3–2 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena, ending Toronto’s run of 10 consecutive home-opening wins.
Josh Anderson and Alexandre Carrier each recorded a goal and an assist for Montreal. Zachary Bolduc scored the other Canadiens goal, while goaltender Jakub Dobes protected Montreal’s lead. William Nylander scored both Toronto goals, and Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 21 shots in his Maple Leafs debut.
Montreal answered an early Toronto goal
Nylander put the Maple Leafs ahead 48 seconds into the game. Anderson tied it at 10:53 of the first period, batting in a rebound after Carrier’s attempt from the slot.
Bolduc gave Montreal the lead at 4:52 of the second on a setup from Mike Matheson, with Anderson also earning an assist. Carrier made it 3–1 at 13:12 of the third when his shot from the right point traveled through traffic and beat a screened Bobrovsky.
Nylander cut the deficit to one goal with 4:14 remaining, but Toronto did not find an equalizer.
Opening-night context
Montreal’s win ended Toronto’s 10-game home-opening streak and gave the Canadiens two points in the first of an 84-game schedule. No broader conclusion about either team’s season can be drawn from a single result, but Montreal’s response after conceding in the first minute was decisive in this game.
The game was one of several low-scoring openers. AskNovus also reported on Boston’s 3–0 win over the New York Rangers. Earlier, Ottawa named Thomas Chabot captain before its own opener.
Featured image is an illustrative hockey photograph and does not depict this game.
Sources and image credit
- Reuters game report, September 30, 2026
- Associated Press recap via CBS Sports, September 29, 2026
- Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash
[…] The teams are scheduled to meet again Thursday in Vancouver. AskNovus is also tracking other completed openers, including Montreal’s 3–2 win over Toronto. […]