Mar 10, 2026; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens forward Oliver Kapanen (91) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs during the first period at the Bell Centre. | Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images
I think I’ll watch the Sportsnet broadcast for this game tonight. For as long as the Canadiens aren’t trailing.
First period
Oliver Kapanen mishandles a puck so much that it fools a Leafs defender, and the puck follows him to the slot for a scoring chance 80 seconds in.
There’s a lot of open ice for Montreal to skate through tonight.
Kaiden Guhle tries to send the puck past Joseph Woll’s ear but it hits him square in the chin instead. A brief stoppage as Woll gets his mask put back together.
A strong cycle is put together by the second line. Ivan Demidov fights off several checks in the corner and Alex Newhook eventually gets it to Kapanen, who spins backward from below the goal line to the top of the crease to open the scoring.
Excellent work by Demidov, gets it to Newhook, down to Oliver Kapanen who goes out front and scores his 20th of the year.
1-0 #Habs
— Matt Drake (@drakemt.bsky.social) March 10, 2026 at 8:18 PM
No need to boo Max Domi, fans. Don’t give the Leafs anything to draw energy from.
Jakub Dobeš needs to come up with a great stop as Toronto rushes past Montreal’s defence.
Montreal is up to 10 shots with seven minutes to play, but it would be nice to get a second goal out of it.
There’s the second goal, on the 13th shot of the period. Kaiden Guhle’s dump-in bounces out of the corner across the slot, Morgan Rielly makes a half-hearted effort to tie up his man, and Phillip Danault tucks it past Woll as he didn’t react to play quick enough.
Kaiden Guhle gets a member’s bounce off the glass, and Phillip Danault puts it home.
2-0 #Habs
— Matt Drake (@drakemt.bsky.social) March 10, 2026 at 8:36 PM
Kapanen’s pass to Newhook find his sprinting right to the front of the net, but a deke is just a foot too far away from him to tap in a third goal.
Brendan Gallagher throws a big hit on Easton Cowan, though after the puck is gone. Jake McCabe comes to the defence of his rookie, and after being a bit reluctant at first, drops his gloves and wins the bout. Each player gets a major and a minor, and the game will be played at four-on-four. I guess they decided an instigator doesn’t apply if a player is responding to an infraction. I wonder what subsection that rule is found in.
The shots end up 18-5 for Montreal, high-danger chances 7-1, and the score 2-0. It was a period as good as the opener in Los Angeles was bad.
Second period
It’s a very impressive night for the second line. I was a little bit concerned that Demidov was beginning to run out of gas. This bodes well for the rest of the season.
Arber Xhekaj gets called for taking Jack Quillan down and into the post, and Toronto will get the first power play of the game.
It was the most dangerous the Leafs have looked, but they still didn’t generate a shot on goal.
Mike Matheson makes a perfectly times stick-check on Nick Robertson that prevented the Leafs from tying the game with a tap-in. He’s had enough minuses over the past week it seems.
The second line spends a rare shift in its own zone and William Nylander and Cowan get inspired to have a good shift. The Habs get through it.
Jake Evans collects a pass from Slafkovský and dances through four defenders to get an open shot on Woll. That’s all you need to know about Toronto’s defence.
Not quite the same performance from Montreal as the first period now that a few Leafs players have begun to try a little bit, but they’re still the team getting shots.
Hutson gets called for the second penalty of the game as he grabs Cowan’s arm to prevent from from going around the outside.
Toronto seems to be testing Dobeš’s gloves on the shots they do get. He’s confidently grabbing everything.
And another glove save.
Toronto is starting to get a lot of shots now. The Canadiens need to work harder in the defensive zone to prevent this from becoming a one-goal game.
Like it is right now. William Nylander scores.
The top line did everything it could to get the two-goal lead back, but the goal didn’t come on about a two-minute shift in the offensive zone.
Montreal got outshot 11-6 in the period. Now they go into the final 20 minutes up by just one goal. They thought it was over after the first. So much for being able to save energy for tomorrow.
Third period
It looks like Cole Caufield isn’t playing on the top line to begin the third, though he is on the bench. Maybe just a minor ailment that he can play through on a power play or if they need a late push.
This national Leafs broadcast hasn’t mentioned that, however.
Evans gets a pass while stationed completely along at the top of the crease, but his quick shot is stopped.
Montreal is doing well to keep the puck out of their zone, but the gap remains just a single shot.
Somehow the refs let the clearest tripping penalty you could possibly get go along the boards as Matheson is taken down.
Finally, after two infractions by Matthew Knies in the neutral zone, they have to call something to stave off another Montreal riot. Knies go off for high-sticking Brendan Gallagher, and that will be the Canadiens’ first power play of the game.
Caufield is out for the power play, as expected.
Another power play for Montreal. With Caufield grimacing on the bench, he may not be out for this one.
But he is.
Two minutes come off the clock, but it would have been nicer to have a 3-1 lead instead.
With four minutes to play, the Leafs have two shots in the third period.
We’re approaching the dangerous five-on-six period at the end of the game.
Woll goes to the bench with just over two minutes to play.
Anderson misses the empty net as he fires from his own zone. He probably thought he had plot armour versus the Maple Leafs.
Everyone is collapsed just hoping to survive.
Matheson puts in the needed effort to dive at the puck and wedge it out to the neutral zone. Evans shields off Cowan to win the puck and deposit it into the net.
Montreal wins 3-1, and will make the trip to Ottawa tomorrow to play the Senators.
EOTP 3 Stars
3) Pretty good top six. Hopefully Caufield is alright.
2) The Leafs will need a new game plan next year
1) You know that takes a lot
