TORONTO — The 2026-27 NHL season started in the best possible way for the Montreal Canadiens. In the traditional and heated all-Canadian opening-night rivalry matchup, the Montreal Canadiens secured a hard-fought 3–2 victory against the Toronto Maple Leafs on the road at Scotiabank Arena, picking up their first two points of the campaign.
Despite falling behind early following a goal by William Nylander just 48 seconds into the first period, Martin St. Louis’ squad responded with tactical discipline and offensive grit to turn the game around and silence the home crowd.
Key Performers & Game MVP
The game’s highest honors (Player of the Game / First Star) belonged to the tandem of forward Josh Anderson and defenseman Alexandre Carrier, both delivering impressive one-goal, one-assist performances:
- Josh Anderson (Offensive MVP): Anderson sparked the comeback by batting a rebound out of mid-air during the first period to notch the Canadiens’ first goal of the season. He finished the night with 1 goal, 1 assist, 3 shots on goal, and 4 hits.
- Alexandre Carrier (First Star / Decisive MVP): Carrier delivered a stellar blue-line performance at both ends of the ice. In addition to picking up an assist, he scored the game-winning goal in the third period, beating the opposing goaltender high «top cheese.»
- Jakub Dobeš in Net: The Czech netminder was sensational between the pipes, stopping 26 of 28 shots for a .929 save percentage to seal the opening-night victory.
Game Box Score & Statistics
| Team | 1st Period | 2nd Period | 3rd Period | Final Score |
| Montreal Canadiens | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
Team Statistics
- Shots on Goal: Toronto 28 – Montreal 24
- Saves: Jakub Dobeš (MTL) 26/28 (.929) | Sergei Bobrovsky (TOR) 21/24 (.875)
- Montreal Goals: Josh Anderson (1), Zachary Bolduc (1), Alexandre Carrier (1)
- Toronto Goals: William Nylander (2)
A Ideal Start for Montreal
Beating their arch-rivals on opening night in their own building provides an immediate boost for Montreal. The combination of strong goaltending from Dobeš and balanced secondary scoring—including key contributions from Zachary Bolduc and Kirby Dach—signals that the Canadiens enter the season with serious momentum in the Eastern Conference.