What a Saturday. At 3 p.m., the Alouettes host the Eastern Final at a sold-out Molson Stadium. Four hours later, Canadiens vs Maple Leafs drops the puck at Scotiabank Arena (7 p.m., Sportsnet and TVA Sports), the oldest rivalry in hockey on a Saturday night in Toronto. Here’s what to watch in the second game of the doubleheader. As always with our advance previews, stats are as of Oct. 28 and don’t include games played since.
Canadiens vs Maple Leafs: Toronto’s threats
As of Oct. 28, the Leafs were 7-6-2 with 16 points, fifth in the Atlantic. They had the same point total as Montreal but had played three more games.
- Auston Matthews: 10 goals and 23 points, and a season-opening road point streak that had reached seven games as of Oct. 28, according to the Leafs’ recap. He scored the tying goal with 1:30 left in regulation in Seattle.
- William Nylander: nine goals and 19 points.
- Gavin McKenna: the 18-year-old scored twice on the power play in Seattle, becoming the youngest Leaf with a multi-goal game since 1944 and reaching 10 points in his first 15 NHL games.
- Depth scoring: Jack Roslovic (15 points), Kirill Marchenko and Easton Cowan (14 each).
- In goal: Anthony Stolarz was 4-1-0 with a .907 save percentage, Sergei Bobrovsky 3-5-2 with an .885.
The Leafs were in the middle of a western road trip in late October; their game-day notes show a club trying to get back in the win column after stops in Edmonton and Calgary.
McKenna is the story everyone in Toronto is talking about. According to the team, he became just the third 18-year-old Leaf in the past 80 years to score more than once in a game, following Vincent Damphousse and Wendel Clark in the mid-1980s, and only the 11th teenager in franchise history to reach 10 points in 15 games or fewer. Montreal’s defence, Hutson included, will have its hands full.
By the numbers (as of Oct. 28)
- Goals for: Toronto 56 in 15 games, Montreal 38 in 12
- Goals against: Toronto 51, Montreal 36
- Last 10: Toronto 5-4-1, Montreal 6-3-1
Put simply, Toronto scores a lot and gives up a lot. Montreal has won by keeping games tight and leaning on Fowler. Whichever style dictates the pace will likely decide it.
The Habs’ side
Montreal was 7-3-2 as of Oct. 28, second in the Atlantic, with rookie goalie Jacob Fowler at 6-1-0, a 1.54 GAA and a .942 save percentage. His 46-save shutout in St. Louis on Oct. 27 set a franchise record for saves by a rookie in a shutout, per the Canadiens’ recap. Cole Caufield led the team in goals and Lane Hutson in points from the blue line.
Watch the captain. Nick Suzuki was ruled out for two to four weeks on Oct. 22, so tonight falls inside his possible return window. Lineup news usually comes after the morning skate.
Three keys for tonight
- Stay out of the box. Toronto scored twice on the power play in Seattle, and McKenna and Matthews punish mistakes.
- Make the goalie work. Neither Leafs netminder had a save percentage above .910 as of Oct. 28. Traffic and rebounds will matter.
- Win the depth battle. Toronto’s top end is elite; Montreal’s path is four lines that keep coming.
Planning your Saturday doubleheader
- 3 p.m.: Alouettes host the Eastern Final at Percival Molson Memorial Stadium, sold out since Oct. 19 according to 3DownNation (TSN, RDS).
- 3 p.m.: Laval Rocket vs. Cleveland at Place Bell.
- 7 p.m.: Canadiens at Maple Leafs (Sportsnet, TVA Sports).
If you’re going to the football game, there’s time to get home, or to a bar, before puck drop. Our list of 12 bars and restaurants to watch the Canadiens is the perfect place to catch both. For background on the Als, read Alouettes Watch.
What’s next for the Habs
Montreal returns to the Bell Centre for the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday, Nov. 10, then visits Boston on Nov. 12 before hosting the Colorado Avalanche on Nov. 14. For a look at how this season started, revisit our Habs Watch at 3-3-1 and our Heritage Classic recap, and follow the week in our sports section. Go Habs Go!
More on MTL365
- This Weekend in Montreal: Tibetan Bazaar, a Big DDO Craft Market and Momos for a Cause
- The Best Cookies in Montreal: 10 Bakeries and Cafés Worth the Detour
- Montreal Potholes: How to Report One and File a Claim Before Winter Hits
- More Montreal sports on MTL365
Photo: Adam Bishop / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Sources: NHL.com (Leafs recap), NHL.com (Leafs game day), NHL.com (Canadiens), NHL.com (Suzuki), 3DownNation
