Ah, here we are, facing the Habs for the first time that counts. Please excuse the lack of first period typing, I was late to the game. We’ll let Omar GIF it for you.

First Period

The Habs strike first and make it 1-0:

Cody Ceci makes a brilliant decision in giving the puck to Morgan Rielly, and that, ultimately ends up like this:

Tie Game

And what’s that? A Habs fan sitting there casually in the SBA?

Leafs get the first power play, and they are still really not clicking on this new format. But then the second unit comes out and you realize how good the first one was. Nylander with a serious chance, however.

The inability to setup the trip through the neutral zone continues after the power play. The Habs are getting in the way a lot.

The Leafs are in the Canadiens zone, where Trevor Moore finds himself behind the Habs net, having stolen the puck from Canadiens rookie Nick Suzuki, and he shoots the puck out beside price right to the stick of Alex Kerfoot, who bounces a puck off price’s leg pad and into the net.

Nick Shore gets called for tripping as we get to the final two minutes of the period, and the Canadiens will get their first power play.

Halfway through the powerplay, where the Canadiens didn’t get much done, the Habs are called for too many men on the ice which gives us some four on four action to end the period.

Kasperi Kapanen starts to jaw Max Domi at the whistle and the two of them do that close talking thing players do as they get separated.

Brendan Gallagher gets the puck into the Leafs net with ten seconds left but can’t get the goal before the period ends.

Second Period

The Maple Leafs begin the period on the power play and use the opportunity to try and extend the lead. Just as the power play expires, Alex Kerfoot has a one-on-one chance with Carey Price. Despite multiple attempts to put the puck through the pads, he can’t do it.

Just as the Canadiens get the puck down to the Leafs end, Mitch Marner gets a stretch pass out to Ilya Mikheyev who sets up Trevor Moore for the Maple Leafs third goal of the game.

Max Domi makes an attempt to get revenge, but hes no match for Michael Hutchinson.

The Maple Leafs have tightened up their defensive play. Brendan Gallagher tries to come into the Leafs zone but he’s literally surrounded by Leafs who won’t give him a chance to get a proper shot.

Jonathan Drouin is called for slashing after a scrum at the Leafs net, and off the faceoff John Tavares thinks he scored, but the puck went off the crossbar and out. Despite the Leafs celebrating, the whistle doesn’t come to end the play. They realize this in time to keep the puck in the offensive end but it goes offside to bring about a face off.

Back and forth they go, but back into the Habs zone, Tavares almost scores again, but that puck keeps going wide.

Tomas Tatar gets called for tripping and gives the Maple Leafs their fourth power play opportunity of the game.

The Habs get a puck around the boards off the faceoff, it escapes Matthews stick and rolls down to the other end of the ice. The Leafs go offside again, killing the momentum of the power play.

Matthews has whatever the opposite of an endorsement is for Warrior hockey sticks because a broken one sends his shot flying over the net, instead of into it. The power play ends with a Nylander shot going wide. There’s a lot of good puck control on these power plays, but they can’t get the control to go into the net.

Trevor Moore set himself up in front of Price, providing a nice screen, but the shot goes right into the blind goalie who scrambles to cover up the loose puck.

Max Domi is trying real hard to score against his favourite hockey team again, going through the Leafs forwards, but the defense won’t give him a true chance.

Hutchinson makes a save as we head to the end of the second period. The Habs are pushing as the Leafs are slowing down.

The intermission can’t come soon enough.

Third period

The period starts with Tavares and Marner coming fast into the Canadiens zone, and Tavares gets a slick pass across the slot to Marner but Price gets a pad on the puck and the Canadiens recover the rebound before any Leafs can get there.

Phillip Danault trips Andreas Johnsson giving the Maple Leafs their fifth power play of the game. The power plays starts with a board battle but is slowed down when a pass to the point bounces off the boards and out. The play comes back into the Canadiens zone, and William Nylander gets the puck under Price’s leg and into the net. Some great screen work by Kasperi Kapanen.

The Montreal Canadiens respond by scoring off the post-goal face off. Max Domi gets past Morgan Rielly, and gets a pass across the slot to Jonathan Drouin to get the Habs second goal over the game.

Minutes later Brendan Gallagher scores his first of the season, a dirty rebound off a Shea Weber point shot.

The Montreal Canadiens are turning up their offense, not letting the Maple Leafs have much time in the offensive zone since the Nylander goal. Lots of point shots and pressure being put on Hutchinson as the Leafs are forced to rely on dumping the puck out.

Kasperi Kapanen breaks out but can’t stay ahead of the Canadiens defence, and doesn’t get a good chance against Price. The Leafs are in the offensive zone and Alex Kerfoot gives Shea Weber a shove, and Weber goes down like Jamie Benn on opposite day. Kerfoot gets called for interference over that.

The Canadiens put all the pressure on the Leafs, but the Leafs keep blocking shots. Kapanen breaks his stick blocking a shot and then throws the broken stick at Jeff Petry resulting in a penalty shot for the Canadiens.

Petry scores on the penalty shot to tie the game.

After this, there’s a face off in the Maple Leafs zone, the puck gets back to Shea Weber who shoots and Phillip Danault deflects the puck into the net. 5-4 Montreal.

The Leafs make attempts at offense but, judging by the looks of the bench after the Danault goal, they conceded defeat with five minutes left. Nate Thompson blocks a Leafs shot and the puck goes down the ice. The Leafs try to come back but the Canadiens have their zone locked down.

Or... shut up, Adam.

Matthews scores his fifth goal of the season with just over one minute left in the game.

The Canadiens tasted the lead and want more, with Shea Weber and Brendan Gallagher trying to get it back with a flurry of offense in the Leafs zone as the clock ticks down to overtime.

Overtime

The Max Domi trio are out to start for the Habs and throw a couple shots on Hutchinson before one deflects up into the netting. Not a good start.

Tavares gets the puck up and out to Marner who goes one on one with Price, but can’t lift the bouncing puck over Price’s pads.

John Tavares gets called for slashing, so we get two minutes (half of the remaining OT) of 4 on 3. The Canadiens call a time out to prepare.

The Canadiens are taking their time to set up the shots, but the Leafs are shutting down the shooting lanes. The puck is cleared one minute into the power play and both sides change lines.

The new PP/PK pick up where the old ones left off. The Canadiens in a diamond, passing around, but they can’t get a clear shot.

Tavares breaks out of the box and almost scores but can’t get it past Price.

The Canadiens come down two on one and Domi fakes the pass and shoots but hits the crossbar, and no goal! The counter counts down to the shootout, and one last shot by Tavares before the buzzer goals.

Shootout

Auston Matthews vs Carey Price: No goal.

Paul Bryon vs Michael Hutchinson: Goal.

Mitch Marner vs Carey Price: No goal.

Jordan Weal vs Michael Hutchinson: No goal.

John Tavares vs Carey Price: No goal.

The Canadiens came back from a 4-1 deficit, took the lead, lost the lead, and then won the shootout. The Canadiens win the first game of the season between the two long time rivals, 6-5.

The Maple Leafs next game is Monday night against the reigning Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues at 7PM.

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