Although they haven’t made the NHL yet, Easton Cowan and Fraser Minten are already invested in the Maple Leafs and Canadiens’ rivalry.
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Both players had a goal in the game, and in the shootout, which helped the Maple Leafs secure a 4-3 win over the Habs in the opening of the prospect showdown. The trio of Cowan, Minten, and Nikita Grebenkin created many scoring chances and were Toronto’s top line in the game.
Toronto free-agent signee Braeden Kressler opened the scoring on the power play in the first period to help things get going.
After Canadiens’ prospect Adam Engstrom got on the board for Montreal, the Maple Leafs’ power play, which went three-for-three in the game, continued to damage the Habs.
Toronto’s man advantage, consisting of Cowan, Minten, Grebenkin, Roni Hirvonen, and Topi Niemela moved the puck incredibly well throughout the game. They generated plenty of chances, including this one, which Minten luckily banked off a Canadiens’ defenseman and into the net.
The Maple Leafs prospects would get another power play later in the second period, and again, had great puck movement. Minten found Cowan on a bad angle and the 19-year-old forward put the puck into the back of the net with a great shot.
Toronto’s first-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft was all over the place in this game —aside from a couple of giveaways — and dominated along the boards and in the corners when retrieving the puck.
Dennis Hildeby had a difficult opening two periods, allowing two goals to squeak through him, which helped the Canadiens tie the game at three a piece. However, from the third period onwards, the 23-year-old was lights out.
Hildeby smothered every chance that Montreal had in the final frame and overtime.
With overtime solving nothing, Montreal and Toronto went to a shootout, and Habs fans tried to do everything in their power to help their team not allow a Maple Leafs goal.
Cowan, first up for Toronto, found the back of the net before cheekily celebrating in front of the Montreal crowd.
After a Canadiens’ miss, a Grebenkin miss (although a very creative attempt), and a Montreal goal, it was up to Minten to decide how this game would end. And he, like Cowan, found the back of the net before celebrating in front of a nearly full Bell Centre.
Other takeaways from Game 1 in Montreal
Although he’s mentioned above, Hildeby was very strong when it was needed most. He made several saves in the third period which helped save Toronto from potentially losing the game after leading it for almost the entire first half.
The Swede is showing why he might see some NHL action at some point this season.
Aside from his power play goal, Kressler was quiet throughout the game. That was until he and his 5-foot-9 frame laid a massive hit on 6-foot-5 Canadiens prospect Tyler Thorpe.
There wasn’t much else that stuck out from Toronto’s side. Miroslav Holinka made a quick — and creative — play to set up Kressler for a scoring chance in the third period. Both Cade Webber and Noah Chadwick used their big frames to their advantage.
I expect Sunday’s game — at 1:00 p.m. in Montreal — to feature Toronto goaltenders Artur Akhtyamov and Vyacheslav Peksa. Forwards Ty Voit, Sam McCue, and defenseman Nathan Mayes should also play, in what will likely be a rowdy affair.
If you’re interested in watching Sunday’s matchup between Toronto and Montreal’s prospects, it will be available to watch for free on the Maple Leafs’ website.
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