MONTREAL — If only Anthony Stolarz — the Toronto Maple Leafs‘ unexpected starting goalie and their first star on Opening Night — could also score goals.
For the low-key veteran backup with the high-gloss mask shone bright and held the fort well enough to give his team a chance to swipe a couple points on the road, refusing to allow an even-strength goal and stopping 26 of the 27 pucks zipped his way for a .963 save percentage.
“He looked unbelievable tonight,” said captain Auston Matthews. “Probably our best player on the ice.”
Alas, the goaltender at the other end, Samuel Montembeault, was the best player on the ice, earning a 48-save shutout and coming out victorious for the Montreal Canadiens in 1-0 goalie duel.
“Hats off to Montembeault. He played one hell of a game and made some big saves,” Stolarz said.
“As a goalie, you’re looking down the other end, watching him make those saves, and you have to just kind of bear down and do your best to try to match him — because he was elite tonight.”
Stolarz, the six-foot-six tower of smiles and saves, wasn’t so bad himself, stoning Christian Dvorak on a breakaway, coming up big under short-handed duress, and instilling some confidence in Leafs Nation that he’s capable of carrying the load while Joseph Woll recovers from some purposely vague “lower-body tightness.”
“My first opener. It was exciting,” said Stolarz, who was given notice Tuesday night that he’d be going in. “I had a little bounce in my step with it being the opener tonight. And I thought I moved well and controlled pucks.”
The skaters in front of Stolarz were less controlled, committing five minors and failing to execute on some key passes and quality scoring opportunities.
Sloppy penalties — Max Domi’s unnecessary roughing of David Savard in his first shift and Conor Timmins’ costly slash of Juraj Slafkovsky — put too much stress on the league’s 23rd-ranked penalty kill, and the Leafs’ own power play lacked directness in an 0-for-4 effort. Special teams were the difference.
Cole Caufield — wearing Johnny Gaudreau’s No. 13 — scored the night’s lone goal, with Timmins in the box.
Toronto coach Craig Berube addressed the lack of discipline with the group, but won’t criticize his skaters too harshly too early.
Especially with the Maple Leafs outshooting the Habs by 21 and another opponent’s home opener to play in less than 24 hours.
“A lot of good things. A lot of shots, But I thought the execution was off, whether it was a shot or the passing a little bit just wasn’t clean enough. Power play included,” Berube said.
“I mean, when you almost get 50 shots on net and you don’t get a goal… Their goalie played well. But we gotta find a way to finish better.”
No question. Toronto out-attempted the home side 94-49 and more than doubled the Habs’ high-danger chances (19-7), according to NaturalStatTrick.com.
Yet, they’ll head into New Jersey Thursday to face former coach Sheldon Keefe’s undefeated Devils (2-0) on the hunt for their first goal of the season.
“Man, did we have a lot of chances out there,” new Leaf Max Pacioretty said. “Credit to them, and their goalie played really strong, but a pretty good start there in terms of creating chances and playing the right way.”
Added Mitch Marner: “Had a lot of chances. Didn’t bounce our way. That’s how hockey goes.”
Yep, the Leafs’ first game of this new season carries over from some themes left over from the old one: second-best special teams, second-best goalie, second-best luck.
But easily the most concerning carryover is the health of Woll, who is on the road trip but — with a move to IR — unavailable to play until at least next week.
“I think you want to give him space and just let him go through his process,” Matthews said. “We’re all here to support him, and we all have his back.”
For now, however, it’s Stolarz who has snatched what was supposed to be Woll’s net.
The New Jersey native is unlikely to start back-to-back — that’s not the NHL way anymore, and prospect Dennis Hildeby is ready to go — but Berube was noncommittal on his Game 2 starter.
“It’s something we gotta discuss,” Berube said.
Heck, all of Leafs Nation will be discussing Toronto’s goaltending situation.
Fox’s Fast Five
• Laval native Simon Benoit has appeared in five NHL seasons but had never dressed for Opening Night — until Wednesday, in Montreal, where he’s purchased tickets for plenty of family and friends.
“I think I’m playing for free tonight,” he smiled pre-game. “I’m pretty pumped about it. I worked hard for this.”
• A couple former Canadiens and current Maxes, Domi and Pacioretty, were lustily booed every time they touched the puck.
“It’s a little bit of a different situation than you’re used to when you’re 22 years old, scoring at the Bell Centre and feeling like you’re the man,” Pacioretty, 35, said of his new cap-friendly support role with Toronto.
“Sometimes you got to take less to help the team, and I’m at that stage in my career where there’s different opportunities to help the team win games, and I’m looking forward to it.
“I’m at the stage of my career where I’m just thankful to be here and take every day as a blessing.”
• A few Berube deployment tweaks: more balanced power-play time between the first and second units, throwing Oliver Ekman-Larsson (instead of Chris Tanev) over the boards to take O-zone draws with Morgan Rielly, lots of Rielly in general (team high 24:05), more rolling lines, and using Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews on the second PK unit. (Marner had previously been a fixture on the top PK unit.)
• The Leafs re-signed or extended six key RFAs before puck dropped on the 2024-25 season. Among them, only Benoit and Nick Robertson participated in the opener. A first for both.
Connor Dewar and Joseph Woll are injured. Timothy Liljegren and Bobby McMann were healthy scratched.
• Asked Easton Cowan whom on the Maple Leafs he grew close with during camp.
His answer: Former London Knight Marner.
Marner’s message to the prospect after getting returned to the OHL?
“Go and have fun. Do your thing. Be the leader that you can be and keep trying to achieve great things in London,” Marner said.
“I was talking to him a little bit about falling a little short and how disappointed he was and stuff like that. Another great opportunity to go back there and try to do it again. You can only get better and learn more things, especially under the Hunters.”
