The wait for the regular season is over, and the Craig Berube era is about to begin. Part of what Brad Treliving was going for was a coach that would get tougher play out of the Maple Leafs, and the Montreal Canadiens will present a good test for what the tougher Leafs look like in-seas0n.
After the preseason antics, which saw Cedric Pare jumped by Arber Xhekaj and Juraj Slafkovsky pulling the hair of Marshall Rifai, the Maple Leafs look prepared to stand their ground in the season opener by dressing Ryan Reaves over Bobby McMann. While McMann led the Leafs in hits during the preseason, this seems more like a punching rather than practical toughness type of night, which could be entertaining, although seemingly different than the lineups that Berube often ran in St. Louis.
The Canadiens are in a position to get caught up in sideshow antics this season. The Leafs need to prioritize their bigger issue from last season, and that is how often inferior opponents beat them. A win in Montreal should be a given last season, their record was 3-0-0, but overall, against the non-playoff Atlantic Division teams, the Maple Leafs were 7-6-1. The Leafs playing tougher against these teams and making use of Craig Berube’s battle drills might be the path to this success, and there was often a reluctance during the Sheldon Keefe years to claim the high-value parts of the ice as well as the puck as their own.
For a team seeking to up its playoff intensity, there seems to be no better way than to open the season against a pissed-off rival. Following it up with matchups against their former coach and then their former GM, it seems like the schedule maker wanted the Leafs to test their resolve early. The Maple Leafs will be motivated to come out of the gate quickly, but with both goaltenders having to get in work early and every defenceman playing with a new partner this season, there are bound to be some hiccups.
Those hiccups are where the Maple Leafs’ skill should come in, and as every team tries to find their footing, relying on the offence of Matthews, Marner, Nylander, and Tavares hopefully makes up for the new coach learning curve.
Lineups
(via Daily Faceoff)
Toronto Maple Leafs:
Matthew Knies – Auston Matthews – Mitch Marner
Max Domi – John Tavares – William Nylander
Max Pacioretty – Pontus Holmberg – Nick Robertson
Steven Lorentz – David Kampf – Ryan Reaves
Morgan Rielly – Chris Tanev
Oliver Ekman-Larsson – Jake McCabe
Simon Benoit – Conor Timmins
Anthony Stolarz
The absences of Timothy Liljegren and McMann are certainly surprises coming out of training camp, and Connor Timmins playing on opening night was not something many would have predicted.
The Maple Leafs’ bottom pairing as it sits today might leave some people wanting more, and it potentially opens the door for favourable line matches for the Canadiens if Martin St. Louis is patient.
The Leafs’ third line of Pacioretty-Holmberg-Robertson will be one to keep an eye on tonight as all three players are looking to prove that they aren’t just preseason performers and they can get results in the regular season, too.
The Leafs made a last-minute change from their intention to start Joseph Woll in the season opener due to some lower body soreness. Stolarz will have the net tonight with Hildeby as his backup.
Montreal Canadiens:
Cole Caufield – Nick Suzuki – Juraj Slafkovsky
Alex Newhook – Kirby Dach – Joel Armia
Alex Barre-Boulet – Christian Dvorak – Josh Anderson
Brendan Gallagher – Jake Evans – Emil Heineman
Mike Matheson – Kaiden Guhle
Lane Hutson – David Savard
Arber Xhekaj – Justin Barron
Sam Montembeault
If there is a source of excitement for Montreal this season, it is likely going to be Lane Hutson. Canadiens fans have placed expectations for the rookie defenceman somewhere between Cale Makar and Bobby Orr, and there doesn’t seem to be a lot of patience for him taking time to get to that level either. Hutson will be playing top-four minutes and doesn’t have strong defensive instincts, which should help whichever of the Leafs’ top two lines draws this matchup.
When it comes to their forward group, Montreal has gone all in on their top line, and it will be interesting to see whether the upgraded Leafs blueline fares better than last season against this skilled unit.
Where to tune in
Sportsnet will carry the game nationally tonight with a scheduled 7 pm ET puck drop (there will be a Montreal ceremony beforehand, so you’ll be fine if you’re a little late.) Immediately following the game, be sure to check out TLN After Dark to break down the season opener.
