Toronto opened its 2026 preseason with a split-squad doubleheader against Montreal. In the Scotiabank Arena game, the Canadiens defeated the Maple Leafs 4–1.
Toronto 1, Montreal 4
Scoring
MTL: Phillip Danault
TOR: Darren Raddysh
MTL: Samuel Poulin
MTL: Maksymilian Szuber — game-winning goal
MTL: Phillip Danault — empty-net goal
Montreal goaltender Samuel Montembeault stopped all 13 shots he faced, while Kaapo Kahkonen made 11 saves in relief. Raddysh provided Toronto’s lone goal.
Gavin McKenna’s debut
The biggest storyline was the professional debut of Gavin McKenna, Toronto’s No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. The 18-year-old skated alongside John Tavares and William Nylander, giving Leafs fans their first preseason look at the highly touted rookie.
Toronto’s home lineup also featured Auston Matthews, Matthew Knies and Jack Roslovic, while new goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky started.
Game report: Montreal’s depth proved decisive in the opening preseason test.
Toronto generated only one goal despite dressing much of its top-end talent, while the Canadiens received goals from Danault, Poulin and Szuber. For the Leafs, the game was primarily an early evaluation opportunity, with McKenna’s debut and several new roster combinations providing the major talking points.
Maple Leafs Game Report: Montreal 4, Toronto 3 (OT)
MONTREAL — The Toronto Maple Leafs opened their preseason schedule Saturday night at the Bell Centre, dropping a 4–3 overtime decision to the Montreal Canadiens in one half of an unusual split-squad doubleheader.
First Period
Montreal came out quickly and built a 2–0 lead.
Juraj Slafkovsky opened the scoring at 4:27, converting a setup from Lawrence Mittelstadt and Ethan Samson. Later in the period, Ivan Demidov doubled the Canadiens’ advantage on the power play, with Lane Hutson recording the assist.
Second Period
Toronto answered with a three-goal outburst.
Harrison Rybinski got the Maple Leafs on the board at 3:56 of the second, assisted by Riley Tverberg and Brandt Brisson.
Toronto then tied the game when Colton Sissons scored at 8:32, with Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Easton Cowan assisting.
The comeback was completed at 16:21 when Matthew Johnstone gave Toronto its first lead of the night. Rybinski and Michael Pezzetta picked up the assists.
Third Period
Montreal refused to go quietly.
Lane Hutson tied the game at 2:43 of the third period, setting the stage for overtime.
Overtime
The Canadiens finished the comeback in overtime.
Cole Caufield scored the winner at 4:22, assisted by Hutson and Anthony Carrier, giving Montreal the 4–3 victory.
Three Stars / Standouts
Lane Hutson — Montreal: Goal and assist, including the tying goal and an assist on the overtime winner.
Cole Caufield — Montreal: Overtime game-winner.
Harrison Rybinski — Toronto: Goal and assist during Toronto’s three-goal second-period comeback.
The Big Picture
The Montreal game was particularly useful as an evaluation opportunity for Toronto’s younger players. With the Leafs splitting their roster between Montreal and Toronto, this was not the same lineup that featured Auston Matthews, John Tavares, William Nylander and No. 1 overall pick Gavin McKenna in Toronto.
Bottom line: Toronto showed plenty of resilience after falling behind 2–0, scoring three times in the second period, but Montreal answered in the third and overtime to spoil the Leafs’ comeback.
