It was the first time since the 2013-14 campaign that the Habs started the season at home. It was also a first victory for a team heading out of a preseason without a win.
"We all needed this,” said Cole Caulfield in a post-game interview before a cheering stadium full of fans.
Josh Anderson was the hero, scoring with 18.4 seconds left on the clock. He took advantage of a short pass from Nick Suzuki, then beat Matt Murray to the slot. The final score: 4-3.
Up until then, Cole Caufield had been the offensive force for the Tricolore. He needed 31 games to score two goals last winter. This time, he had two goals after two periods.
Sean Monahan also scored for the Canadiens (1-0-0). Suzuki had two assists and Jake Allen turned aside 29 shots.
Michael Bunting, Denis Malgin and William Nylander replied for the Maple Leafs (0-1-0). John Tavares had two assists and Murray made 19 saves.
The Habs had five rookies in the lineup, including forward Juraj Slafkovsky and defensemen Kaiden Guhle, Arber Xhekaj, Jordan Harris and Johnathan Kovacevic. Slafkovsky, Guhle and Xhekaj were even in their first NHL game.
The Habs will be back in action on Friday when they visit the Detroit Red Wings. They will then travel to Washington on Saturday to face the Capitals.
A GOOD SHOW
The game followed a lengthy opening ceremony, where head coach Martin St-Louis and goaltender Carey Price received the loudest ovations.
A nice flick from from Mitch Marner to Bunting put the Leafs in the lead after 11:41 of play.
The Tricolore knocked on the door late in the first period, but Caufield missed the target after a perfect pass from Suzuki on a two-on-one attack.
Suzuki's pass to Caufield on a similar sequence early in the second period was less accurate, but the maverick took his time and beat Murray after just 33 seconds of play.
Auston Matthews came close to putting the Maple Leafs back in front on a power play, but his shot hit the crossbar.
Instead, it was Malgin who put the Leafs ahead 2-1 after 9:06 in the second period. He took advantage of a perfect set-up by Tavares to push the disc into an open net.
Malgin returned to the attack moments later, breaking away from Allen. However, his shot hit the post.
Caufield tied the game again at 15:56 of the middle period. After a turnover at the Habs' blue line, Caufield orchestrated a three-on-two counterattack.
Kirby Dach thought for a moment that he might have given the Tricolore the lead with 2:50 to go in the second period. He tried to beat Murray to the net. Replays showed that the puck never crossed the goal line.
Xhekaj was trapped a second time in the period and Alexander Kerfoot broke free 10 seconds into the period. Xhekaj then hooked his rival and the referees awarded him a penalty shot which Allen stopped.
Monahan broke the deadlock with 2:30 left in regulation, but the celebration was short-lived at the Bell Centre as Nylander responded 40 seconds later.
-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Oct. 12, 2022
