The Canadiens started their season in the place where a bad start hurts most: Toronto.
48 seconds
William Nylander scored 48 seconds in. For a season opener, in that building, against that club, it is hard to imagine a worse beginning.
What followed belonged to Montreal. Josh Anderson tied it at 10:53 of the first, Zachary Bolduc put the Canadiens ahead at 4:52 of the second, and Alexandre Carrier made it 3-1 at 13:12 of the third. Three different scorers — a power forward, a young forward, a defenceman.
Nylander answered at 15:46 for his second of the night. 4:14 left to hold.
All five goals came at even strength. Eight penalties in all, and no power-play goal either way. Toronto pulled its goaltender for the final 75 seconds, without changing the score.
26 of 28
Jakub Dobes stopped 26 of 28 shots, a .929 save percentage.
The more telling number is elsewhere: Toronto put 28 shots on Dobes, Montreal 24 on Sergei Bobrovsky. The Canadiens won while being the second team on the shot clock. It happens — rarely without a goaltender who holds.
The stars went elsewhere
Carrier, Nylander, Anderson. Dobes is not among them.
Stars reward what is visible: a goal goes into the summary, a save does not. Neither do twenty-six.
What one game does not prove
.929 over one game is 28 shots. One more goal and the very same game reads .893. It is an excellent night, not yet a trend. It will take a dozen starts before Dobes's number means anything.
What the game does say is simpler: on the night the Canadiens needed their goaltender in Toronto, he was there.
Next
The Canadiens are in Pittsburgh on October 3. The Penguins have not played yet: their season starts tonight in Philadelphia.
It will be the second game for both, with 3 days of rest for Montreal and two for Pittsburgh.
Toronto, meanwhile, is back tonight against the Islanders.