Montreal Canadiens grab last-second victory in 2022-23 home opener

The Montreal Canadiens capped off a victory in their first contest of the 2022-23 season. The Canadiens would put up a last-second goal to put away the Toronto Maple Leafs to kick off their season in the home opener.

After a bit of back and forth, the Montreal Canadiens emerged victorious after Josh Anderson buried the fourth goal to put the team up with less than 20 seconds left in the game. He used a quick release to slip one through the Leafs’ defenders in front of the net and beat Matt Murray glove side and high.

It was a gorgeous goal, showing off a quick release to get the puck on the net and avoid any of the Leafs’ defenders the chance to square it up.

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Anderson’s late goal sealed the deal for the Habs and sent them on the road to victory. A great way to start off the 2022-23 season, especially a year where the hopes are not the highest. It has to be good for these younger players to get a win under their belt early.

Montreal Canadiens emerge victorious in the season opener.

Early on, it was Cole Caufield showing off the quick shot and the added strength. He picked up two early goals and nearly had a third on another cross-crease pass where he was too quick to get rid of it, sending it wide of the net.

Caufield’s shot looked good and helped the Habs pick up two goals early on. Newcomer Sean Monahan was the other Habs forward to find the back of the net, burying a re-directed puck that found his stick.

He showed quick hands to get rid of it quickly after a Leafs’ defender’s skate sent the original shot toward Monahan. The Habs were able to cap things off with a victory on home ice to kick off the 2022-23 season.

While there were some mistakes and blunders from the young defense core, there were times when things looked good, and they appeared to be handling the NHL speed and game quite well for being so young and inexperienced.

The Maple Leafs tallied 32 shots on goal, with Jake Allen making 29 saves in the victory. On the flip side, the Habs produced 23 shots on goal, converting for four goals. Faceoffs were nearly even, with the Habs winning 26 to the Leafs 25 victories.

Plenty to learn from and plenty to be happy with as the Habs emerge 1-0 from the first game of the year.