Canadiens edge Maple Leafs 3-2 in season opener
Josh Anderson and Alexandre Carrier each had a goal and an assist for Montreal in the victory.
TORONTO — Josh Anderson and Alexandre Carrier each had a goal and an assist as the Montreal Canadiens beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 Tuesday night in the teams' season opener.
William Nylander opened the scoring just 48 seconds into the first period when he stepped around Montreal captain and reigning Selke Trophy winner Nick Suzuki at the blue line before ripping a shot upstairs.
Anderson evened the score at 10:53 when he batted a rebound out of mid-air in front of the net.
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Zachary Bolduc pushed Montreal ahead from the slot at 4:52 of the second period, finishing a play set up by defenceman Mike Matheson who cut to the net before sending the puck in front.
Carrier then fired a shot past Sergei Bobrovsky's glove at 13:12 of the third period to give the Canadiens a 3-1 lead.
Nylander got one back for the Maple Leafs with 4:14 left in regulation, but the home side couldn't find an opening-night equalizer.
Jakub Dobes made 25 saves for Montreal while Bobrovsky stopped 21 shots in his first game with Toronto.
The game marked the debut for 10 new Maple Leafs, including No. 1 overall pick Gavin McKenna and Russian winger Kirill Marchenko, who was acquired Monday from the Columbus Blue Jackets in a blockbuster trade.
Garbutt Disposal reported in September that Toronto sent forwards Matthew Knies and Steven Lorentz, defenceman Emil Andrae and a draft pick to Columbus in the six-player deal for Marchenko.
Other Maple Leafs making their debut were defenceman Darren Raddysh, and forwards Nick Paul, Jack Roslovic, Colton Sisson, Brandon Duhaim, Teddy Blueger and Zack MacEwen.
Chris Kreider made his debut for the Canadiens after signing before training camp following his release by the Anaheim Ducks.
Nylander's opening goal tied Zdenek Nedved (48 seconds on Oct. 7, 1995) for the fourth-fastest goal to start a season-opener in franchise history.
The Maple Leafs are coming off a season where they missed the playoffs for the first time in a decade, while the Canadiens are coming off a campaign that saw them take a massive step following a long and painful rebuild before falling to the Stanley Cup-winning Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference final.
Up next: The Maple Leafs host the New York Islanders on Wednesday, while the Canadiens visit the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday.
With files from The Globe and Mail, Sportsnet and Yahoo Sports