(Toronto) Mitch Marner scored the only goal in the shootout and the Montreal Canadiens’ season began with a 6-5 loss against the Maple Leafs in Toronto on Wednesday.
Third of his team to start, the hockey player from Markham hit the target in the top of the net. Ilya Samsonov then frustrated Kirby Dach, sealing the victory for his team.
Auston Matthews scored three goals, including the 300e of her career.
Noah Gregor and William Nylander scored the other Maple Leafs goals, while Samsonov blocked 19 shots.
For CH, newcomer Alex Newhook stood out with two goals.
Cole Caufield, Jake Evans and Jesse Ylönen were the other scorers, while Jake Allen made 37 saves.
The Habs were heading for a 5-3 win before Matthews’ last two goals, in the last five minutes of regular time.
He closed the gap from a difficult angle to 15:27, before scoring his eighth career hat trick with 1:07 on the clock.
Evans gave the Habs a 1-0 lead at 3:01 in the first period, on a breakaway. He was able to slip away alone after TJ Brodie messed up at his blue line.
A 27-year-old Torontonian, Evans scored in the top of the net after a nice feint.
Shortly after, Tyler Bertuzzi missed a golden chance to tie the score, right in front of Allen’s net. The latter then frustrated John Tavares with the pad.
A few minutes later, Calle Jarnkrok was punished for holding. During the superiority, the Canadian’s best chance came from a dangerous shot from Mike Matheson, following a pass from Caufield.
Arber Xhekaj and Ryan Reaves dropped the gloves midway through the first period. There wasn’t really a winner, but young Xhekaj didn’t look bad at all.
Newhook doubled the cushion just 1:10 into the middle period, completing a three-on-one.
Dach started the recovery. Once in the center of the opposing zone, he slipped to the center to Juraj Slafkovsky, then the latter’s pass was redirected by Newhook. The former Colorado Avalanche got his first goal with CH.
At 5:50, we thought the visitors had taken a three-goal cushion when Caufield scored from the right circle, thanks to a clever pass from Sean Monahan.
Toronto, however, protested, and successfully, having spotted an offside.
The Maple Leafs closed the gap midway through the period, with the help of a long wrist shot from Noah Gregor. Posted near the blue line, he caught a live pass from John Klingberg.
Matthews then tied the game with his 300e goal in the NHL, at 14:51 in the second period.
A Mitchell Marner shot sailed in front of the goal, then Matthews took the opportunity to beat Allen with a high shot.
Late in the second period, Allen made a great save against William Nylander. The sequence began with the interception of a cross pass from Jordan Harris.
Nylander would face Evans in the penalty box, with 44 seconds remaining in the engagement.
Klingberg passed to him and Nylander hit the target with a one-timer from the right circle.
The Leafs put pressure on early in the third period where, after five minutes and a dusting of play, the shot count stood at 30-13 in favor of the Toronto club.
That was before Caufield’s tying shot at 4:25, on the power play. Matheson sent him the puck in the slot and the captain’s shot deflected against TJ Brodie’s stick, before entering the net. The score then became 3-3.
Newhook completed his double 1:22 later, deflecting a shot from Xhekaj’s point. Dach and Slafkovsky did a good job on the forecheck.
Xhekaj shined midway through the third period, taking the puck away from Matthew Knies with a solid shoulder shot in the slot.
The Habs added what looked like an insurance goal at 11:55, the result of a scramble by Timothy Liljegren, far in his zone. Rafaël Harvey-Pinard was able to pass to Ylönen, who threaded the needle with a magnificent backhand.
Allen was superb in overtime: once stretching the stick, as well as twice making high-level saves, including one against Matthews, alone in front of him.
The Canadian will kick off the local portion of his schedule on Saturday evening, against Chicago.
On Tuesday, top draft pick Connor Bedard provided an assist to help the Blackhawks open the season with a 4-2 win at Pittsburgh.
On Wednesday, Bedard scored a first goal, but his team lost to Boston, 3-1.
The Maple Leafs begin the campaign with three home games. They will also host Minnesota and the Hawks on Saturday and Monday.
The Toronto team wore the logo of the next All-Star Game on their jersey – the event will be presented at Scotiabank Arena on February 3, 2024.