Projected starting goaltender Anthony Stolarz saw his first preseason action in net Saturday night in a 4-2 loss against Montreal at the Scotiabank Arena.
The 31-year-old netminder, who will be relied upon heavily at the beginning of the season with the uncertainty surrounding backup Jacob Wohl, faced 18 shots and allowed three goals (two while shorthanded) in two periods of work.
In a reversal of form from their Thursday meeting, it was the Habs that jumped out to an early lead. Alex Newhook took advantage of a sharp pass from Alexandre Carrier and sloppy Toronto defensive play to put the Canadiens up 1-0 at the 11:22 mark of the first period.
Riley Kidney added to the Canadiens’ lead with a put-back power play goal at 9:34 of the second period to make it 2-0. The Leafs answered with a power play goal of their own a few minutes later. After a botched Montreal clearing attempt, John Tavares found himself with the puck alone in front of the net. The veteran centreman then beat Montreal goaltender Kapo Kahkonen to the post to cut the margin to 2-1. But that was as close as Toronto would get, as later in the period Habs’ defenceman Lane Hutson walked in and rifled another man-advantage tally to restore Montreal’s two-goal spread, 3-1.
Habs’ Forward Sean Farrell put the game to bed midway through the third, converting on the money end of a two-on-one after a neutral zone turnover by the Leafs. Willy Nylander tapped one in for Toronto with just under four minutes left to give the home fans a little something to cheer about on the way out, but it was not enough as the defeat dropped the Maple Leafs to 2-1-1 in exhibition games.
Next up: Detroit, Thursday, October 2, at the Sociabank Arena
