Montembeault posts 47-save shutout, Canadiens blank Maple Leafs 1-0 in season-opener
Sam Montembeault made 47 saves, Cole Caufield scored the game-winning goal and the Montreal Canadiens opened the NHL season with a 1-0 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday at the Bell Centre.
Caufield scored a power-play goal at 7:48 of the first period, finishing off a perfectly executed tic-tac-toe play with Juraj Slafkovsky and Kirby Dach. The Canadiens’ power play went 1-for-5 on the night after going 0-for-30 during the pre-season.
Toronto pulled goalie Anthony Stolarz with two minutes remaining, but to no avail as Caufield’s goal hung on as the winner. Stolarz stopped 26 shots for the Maple Leafs after presumed starter Joseph Woll was surprisingly kept out of the lineup with “lower-body tightness,” head coach Craig Berube said.
Takeaways
Canadiens: Montembeault's 47 saves was an NHL record for a season-opening shutout. He became the seventh Canadiens goaltender to post a shutout in a season-opening game. Jacques Plante was the only other to do it against the Maple Leafs (Oct. 6, 1960, Oct. 6, 1955).
Maple Leafs: Toronto had trouble staying out of the penalty box with five minor penalties in the first 40 minutes. The Maple Leafs also went 0-for-4 on the power play and hit three posts in the second period.
Key moment
Midway through the second period, Montembeault flashed the leather with a glove save on a one-timer from the slot by Maple Leafs sniper Auston Matthews, who scored an NHL-leading 69 goals last season. Montembeault's 47th save of the night was on another Matthews chance from the slot with the clock winding down.
Key stat
Caufield scored a goal in the Canadiens’ season-opener against the Maple Leafs for the third straight season. The 23-year-old American also recorded his 150th career point in his 206th game, becoming the fastest Canadien to reach that mark since Saku Koivu in 1997-98.
Up next
Both teams play their second game in as many days Thursday. The Canadiens travel to Boston to take on the Bruins. The Maple Leafs visit former Toronto head coach Sheldon Keefe and the New Jersey Devils.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 9, 2024.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
U.S. Justice Department brings criminal charges in Iranian murder-for-hire plan targeting Donald Trump
The U.S. Justice Department on Friday disclosed an Iranian murder-for-hire plot to kill Donald Trump, charging a man who said he had been tasked by a government official before this week's election with planning the assassination of the Republican president-elect.
Canada rent report: What landlords are asking tenants to pay
Average asking rents declined nationally on a year-over-year basis for the first time in more than three years in October, said a report out Thursday.
N.S. school 'deeply sorry' for asking service members not to wear uniforms at Remembrance Day ceremony
An elementary school in the Halifax area has backed away from a request that service members not wear uniforms to the school's Remembrance Day ceremony.
48,584 space heaters recalled in Canada after burn injury in U.S.
Health Canada has announced a recall for electric space heaters over potential fire and burn risks, a notice published Thursday reads.
Israeli soccer fans were attacked in Amsterdam. The violence was condemned as antisemitic
Israeli fans were assaulted after a soccer game in Amsterdam by hordes of young people apparently riled up by calls on social media to target Jewish people, Dutch authorities said Friday. Five people were treated at hospitals and dozens were arrested after the attacks, which were condemned as antisemitic by authorities in Amsterdam, Israel and across Europe.
'Big frustration': How a limited MAID window affects Alzheimer's patients
A move by Quebec to allow a person with a serious and incurable illness like Alzheimer's to request MAID months or years before their condition leaves them unable to consent has been met with praise, confusion and criticism.
Winnipeg teacher who faces voyeurism charge now accused of sexually assaulting former student
A Winnipeg teacher previously charged with voyeurism and a number of other offences has been charged with sexual assault and sexual exploitation of a former student.
Beyonce leads the 2025 Grammy noms, becoming the most nominated artist in the show's history
Welcome to Beyonce country. When it comes to the 2025 Grammy Award nominations, 'Cowboy Carter' rules the nation.
107-year-old temperature record among dozens broken across Canada
Canadians are experiencing a wave of warm weather across multiple provinces well into the fall season, shattering dozens of temperature records.