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The Montreal Canadiens hosted a very young Toronto Maple Leafs team on Thursday night, resulting in a well-deserved 7-2 win for the road team.

Prior to puck drop it was announced that Kaiden Guhle would not play, with defenceman Marc Del Gaizo taking his spot in the lineup. The Habs officially stated the absence from the lineup was due to ‘maintenance reasons’.

On top of losing Guhle before the game, both Noah Dobson and David Reinbacher were forced to leave before the final whistle blew.

Without further ado, let’s dive into the highlights!

Sleepy Puck Drop

Guhle wasn’t the only late arrival in the Montreal Canadiens sports landscape, as the entire team decided to show up late for the first period versus the Leafs, leading to an early 2-0 lead for the road team. Whether he was holding back in the playoffs to surge in the preseason remains to be confirmed, but Scott Laughton was the author of both Leafs goals.

Mike Matheson managed to find the back of the net shortly afterwards, with Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki earning a powerplay assist. The goal temporarily cut the Leafs lead to just one, with an emphasis on temporarily.


Bobby McMann restored the two-goal lead thirty seconds later, Toronto’s third goal on just seven shots. Samuel Montembeault did not look particularly good on the first two  goals against, but there was nothing he could do while dealing with a triple screen.

Nifty Mittens

The first evidence of Demidov’s potential impact on the powerplay took place in the playoffs last season, versus the Washington Capitals. Not only was the puck moving around much quicker than usual, Demidov had a penchant for quickly establishing passing lanes with a few dekes. That was also the case on Thursday night, when he set up Laine for an easy one-timer goal on the powerplay.

Definitely Preseason Hockey

The Leafs were the better team, and there were plenty of clips that clearly demonstrate Montreal’s lack of defensive acumen, but none more than the build-up to the fifth Leafs goal. David Reinbacher’s decision to challenge the zone entry backfired spectacularly, and though Ivan Demidov did well to pick up some of the defensive slack, the lack of inside body positioning led to an easy goal for Toronto.

Montreal Canadiens vs. Toronto Maple Leafs Additional Notes

  • It was great to see Dach back on the ice. The last time he recovered from an injury, it seemed like he was forcing the issue upon his return, attempting high-difficulty plays to reassure everyone that he was ready to be an impact player. Hopefully, this time around, he walks before he tries to run. For Dach, as well as the Canadiens, it’s a marathon, not a sprint.
  • If you missed the game, Dach was more than fine versus the Leafs. The second line had its issues, but as an individual, Dach had a good outing considering how long he’s been out of action.
  • Montembeault puts up legitimate No.1 goaltender numbers, and tends to be underrated in Montreal, but he still allows the odd banana here and there, which gives the impression that he struggles with basic saves. Of course, that’s ignoring the Canadiens’ penchant for allowing roughly 53 odd-man rushes per game, but the optics of a poor game from Montembeault are hard to shake.

  • There’s something about the Laine, Demidov, and Dach combination that doesn’t work at 5v5. I’m still trying to figure out who will retrieve pucks, or who will force turnovers. Perhaps Demidov can help in that regard, but as it stands, it’s three guys who excel with the puck on their blade, but get caught chasing without it. It’s just the preseason, which means we shouldn’t lose any sleep over performances, but the off-season concerns regarding the second-line are definitely still in play, and they’re not all tied to Dach’s injury recovery. 
  • Florian Xhekaj needs to understand that he’s going to be watched like a hawk in the NHL. You can get away with taking the most penalty minutes in the AHL, especially if you score 20+ goals, but that won’t fly from a young player in the NHL. Fair or not, he will rarely get the benefit of the doubt from the officials, which means he needs to be a little more discerning when he ups the physical tempo.
  • I’m not convinced Vinzenz Rohrer has a legitimate chance to earn a roster spot, mostly due to the waiver situation, not to mention the logjam among forwards, but he’s stood out as one of the better prospects since training camp opened.
  • The Habs only managed nine shots on net through the first 40 minutes of the game, which included three powerplays. That’s a terrible result any way you look at it, even more so when you consider the lineup they were facing was closer to the Toronto Marlies than the Toronto Maple Leafs.
  • I genuinely hope Michael Pezzetta earns a roster spot in Toronto. Few players work harder than him, and it’s worth noting he led the Habs in hits per 60 last season, by a rather wide margin.
  • Adding injury to insult, Noah Dobson left the game in the third period and did not return. David Reinbacher also left the game late in the third period.

Heatmap

Thursday’s heatmap speaks for itself. The Habs hardly forced the Zamboni driver to earn his keep, while the Leafs entrenched themselves a few feet away from Canadiens goaltenders for most of their high-quality shots.

The Montreal Canadiens are back in action on Saturday, facing the Maple Leafs once again. This time, the game will take place in Toronto, with the puck drop scheduled for 7 pm ET.

All Montreal Canadiens statistics are 5v5 unless otherwise noted, via Natural Stat Trick.

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By Marc Dumont
Marc has been covering the Habs for over a decade. He previously worked for Journal Metro, The Athletic, The ... More about Marc Dumont

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