If regular-season hockey in September seems somewhat unusual, get used to it.
This could well be the tradition after the NHL increased its schedule to 84 games.
The Canadiens launched their schedule Tuesday night with a hard-fought 3-2 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena. Considering it was an Original Six matchup featuring two Atlantic Division teams, we were surprised by the lack of intensity at times.
On the other hand, with Montreal having played only five exhibition games — all but one involving split squads — the suckers from the centre of the universe who paid hundreds of dollars to watch this contest … well, they deserved what they got. That is, except for the guy sitting directly behind the Canadiens’ bench who was wearing an Auston Matthews jersey and was seen drinking red wine. We only hope, for his sake, the libation didn’t come out of a box.
And with that, we bring you a new season of Hidden Game.
News you need (Part I): The game marked the 24th time in the history of these storied franchises — and the seventh consecutive season — the Canadiens and Leafs raised the curtain for the opening game. In Gary Bettman’s skewed world, some things just seem right.
News you need (Part II): It marked the first time in 11 home openers Toronto has lost under the captaincy of Matthews. The Leafs had been 11-0-1 in home openers against Montreal.
News you need (Part III): Of the 12 Toronto forwards who played in last season’s opener against the Canadiens, only four remain: Matthews, John Tavares, William Nylander and the injured Dakota Joshua. This is the fallout after a team finishes 28th overall in the NHL.
Heated rivalry: Only eight minor penalties — four against the visitors — were assessed. At times, watching paint dry would have been more stimulating.
This is how a goalie wants to start a season: Jakub Dobes stopped the first shot he faced, from Jack Roslovic, only 13 seconds in.
This is not how a goalie wants to start a season: The second shot Dobes faced, from Nylander only 35 seconds later, beat him high to the glove side.
How not to backcheck (Part I): Nylander turned Nick Suzuki inside out at the Montreal blue line.
In honour of the MLB playoffs starting: Josh Anderson scored the Canadiens’ opening goal, batting the puck out of mid-air.
Of course, we all could have predicted it: Yes, that was the much-maligned Kirby Dach who started the play that resulted in Anderson’s goal.
Zachary Bolduc of the Canadiens celebrates his second-period goal against the Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on Tuesday. Chris Tanouye / Getty Images
Diplomatic immunity: Arber Xhekaj has never been shy about hammering opposing players. However, we couldn’t help but notice he decided not to drill 2026 first overall draft choice Gavin McKenna in the final minute of the opening period.
News you need (Part IV): Anderson had three of the Canadiens’ 10 first-period shots.
Pass of the night (Part I): Mike Matheson to Zachary Bolduc on the Canadiens’ second goal. It was a pretty solo effort by the Montreal defenceman.
Let’s not get carried away: While it was nice to see Bolduc score in the first game, don’t forget that he produced three goals in Montreal’s season-opening three-game road trip last season — and ended the year with an underwhelming 12.
We’ve seen this movie before (Part I): Bolduc’s goal, at 4:52 of the second period, came on the Canadiens’ 13th shot. They didn’t get their 14th for another 7:01.
Shots are overrated: Montreal outshot Toronto 8-6 in the period.
We’ve seen this movie before (Part II): The Canadiens’ 26 comeback victories last season tied for first in the NHL. They had five more in the playoffs.
It’s a game of inches (Part I): In the ninth minute of the second period, Lane Hutson’s shot hit the crossbar.
Sometimes it’s the little plays that make all the difference: Noah Dobson, who has become quite adept at blocking shots, blocked Kirill Marchenko’s cross-ice pass late in the second period while Cole Caufield was penalized.
Great moments in officiating: While Caufield was off, Matheson got away with one. He appeared to trip Marchenko. No penalty was assessed.
Best chipped front tooth in the NHL: Marchenko.
Sergei Bobrovsky of the Maple Leafs looks on during the third period against the Canadiens at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on Tuesday. Chris Tanouye / Getty Images
Hit of the night: Jayden Struble’s shoulder on Nick Paul against the side boards during the third period.
It’s a game of inches (Part II): In the eighth minute of the period, while the Canadiens were on the power play, Juraj Slafkovsky hit a post.
Dumb penalty: Interference on Alexandre Texier. He decided to impede Paul away from the play during the third period.
How not to backcheck (Part II): Dach failed to check Nylander on the Leafs’ second goal.
Pass of the night (Part II): Easton Cowan to Nylander.
Sieve of the night: Sergei Bobrovsky, who’s supposed to be the answer to Toronto’s long-standing goaltending issues, had a save percentage of .875. The two-time Stanley Cup champion and two-time Vézina Trophy winner had an .877 save percentage last season with Florida.
This guy ain’t no sieve: Dobes’s save percentage was .929.
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Next time, decline the penalty: The Leafs were 0-for-3 on the power play.
Quick stats: Caufield, Anderson, Matheson and Alexandre Carrier, who scored the winning goal, each had three shots on net. Anderson also had four hits. Suzuki and Dobson each were guilty of three giveaways. Matheson played 25:07. Dach played 11:07 — three seconds more than Bolduc. The Canadiens won 60.4 per cent of their faceoffs and outhit Toronto 28-23.
They said it: “I thought we were connected all over the ice and got rewarded tonight,” Anderson told the media in Toronto. “Playing in front of family and friends, and obviously being from here, I always have these (Toronto) games circled on the calendar. It’s not hard to come out here and compete when it’s the first game of the year. I’m glad it went our way.”
“We got down early,” Dobes said. “I was just focusing on making the key saves to give energy to the guys. I’m proud of it. I felt pretty good. I felt like I was ready. I feel like we played a pretty good 60 (minutes) and were pretty successful. I saw that a lot of people had a lot of opinions about me. I just wanted to prove that I’m ready.”
“He (Dobes) was excellent,” Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis said. “He made some really big saves for us, especially early on. I felt we weren’t playing fast enough. He bought us some time to get going. I’d say the first seven or eight minutes the ice was tilted. We tilted it back.”
