MONTREAL — The Toronto Maple Leafs swept their two preseason matchups against the Montreal Canadiens, securing a hard-fought 2-1 victory Saturday night at Centre Bell.
“It was a tough game, but the team was engaged and competed hard,” said Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube. “I don’t do much—they just go out there and play. They’re smart players and know what they’re doing.”
Nicholas Robertson netted both of Toronto’s goals, while Kirby Dach scored Montreal’s lone tally late in the third period.
Early in the game, the lively crowd at Centre Bell fell silent when newly acquired collided with Leafs players Cédric Paré and Jacob Quillan in a knee-on-knee hit. He did not return to the game.
Arber Xhekaj retaliated for the Canadiens, earning a game misconduct and leaving his team to kill a seven-minute penalty. With an earlier injury to David Reinbacher, Montreal was down three players within the first five minutes.
“It was a very emotional start that set the tone,” said Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis. “Being down to 17 players really shortens the bench. You want to manage the workload, but you have little choice.”
Toronto took advantage on the power play, with Robertson’s shot slipping past Samuel Montembeault. From there, the Leafs’ defense held strong, killing off three penalties while limiting Montreal’s opportunities.
The Maple Leafs’ penalty kill, which had struggled last season, looked sharp, maintaining control and preventing dangerous chances.
“It was a special teams battle from the start, and I think we executed well,” said Matthew Knies. “We scored on the power play and shut them down on the penalty kill.”
Montreal started the second period with more energy, pressing on the forecheck, but tempers flared, leading to frequent scrums and two fights. By the end of the second, both teams had amassed 73 penalty minutes.
“I think we stuck together and protected each other,” said Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki. “Once we got back to five-on-five, we played much better.”
Toronto continued to stifle Montreal’s offense, killing off a dangerous four-on-three to maintain their 1-0 lead heading into the final period.
The Leafs increased their lead in the third, with Robertson finding space and scoring again. Shortly after, Cole Caufield’s close attempt was denied by a sprawling save from Dennis Hildeby.
Montreal managed to pull one back with less than two minutes to play, as Kirby Dach finished a slick passing sequence to cut the deficit to 2-1. However, Toronto held firm to secure the win.
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