The Montreal Canadiens announced their home opener will be on Wednesday, October 9th, against the Toronto Maple Leafs. It's the fifth season in a row that the Canadiens and Maple Leafs will square off in the season opener. The Canadiens were 1-1-2 in the previous four games, but the two overtime games show that both teams always show up for the season opener against each other. Regardless, everyone will be ready for the offseason to end.
Last season's game was a 6-5 shootout thriller victory by the Toronto Maple Leafs. Jake Evans and Alex Newhook got the Canadiens a 2-0 lead, but the Maple Leafs rallied. Noah Gregor, Auston Matthews, and William Nylander made it 3-2, before Cole Caufield, Newhook, and Jeese Ylonen answered with three to take a 5-3 lead. The Canadiens looked like they would start the season on a winning note, but Auston Matthews completed the hat trick with two goals in the last five minutes to send the game to overtime.
The Canadiens will also be in another home opener when they face the Boston Bruins the following night at TD Garden. It's an exciting beginning to the season for the Canadiens as they face back-to-back rivals.