Montreal Canadiens strike first and last as the Toronto Maple Leafs answer once at Bell Centre

The Montreal Canadiens moved to 35-18-10 and the Toronto Maple Leafs to 27-27-11 after a 3-1 result at Bell Centre.

First period

The Montreal Canadiens scored 2 goals in the opening period while the Toronto Maple Leafs scored 0 goals in the opening period.

The Habs finished the game with 33 shots, and the Leafs finished with 18 shots.

The Canadiens recorded 20 hits, and the Buds recorded 23 hits.

Second period

The Maple Leafs got their only goal in the second period, and the Canadiens scored 0 goals in that period.

The Canadiens went 0-for-2 on the power play, and the Leafs went 0-for-2 on the power play.

The Leafs won 51 percent of faceoffs, while the Habs won 49 percent.

Third period

The Canadiens added 1 goal in the third period, and the Leafs scored 0 goals in the third period.

Montreal finished with 8 takeaways and 11 giveaways, while Toronto posted 3 takeaways and 12 giveaways.

Montreal Canadiens post-match stats showed an even-strength edge with 3 goals on 31 shots, while Toronto had 1 goal on 16 even-strength shots.

Key performances

Jake Evans earned first-star honors and finished with 1 goal on 4 shots while logging 3 hits.

Oliver Kapanen earned second-star honors and scored 1 goal on 3 shots.

Phillip Danault scored 1 goal on 1 shot for a 100 shooting percent night.

Jakub Dobes earned the win with 17 saves on 18 shots against.

Leafs notes

Toronto’s team goaltending line finished with 30 saves and 3 goals against on 33 shots against.

The Leafs registered 15 blocked shots, and the Canadiens finished with 18 blocked shots.

After the horn

The game-changing plays Montreal Canadiens vs Toronto Maple Leafs included Montreal’s 2-goal first period and an empty-net goal that closed the scoring.

The Montreal Canadiens match rating on the night leaned on shot volume and 10 plus-minus as a team figure.

The Montreal Canadiens final whistle reaction centered on a home result in front of an announced attendance of 20962.

Next game

The Montreal Canadiens are scheduled to visit the Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, Ontario on 3/11/2026 at 7:30 PM EDT, with ESPN+ carrying the broadcast.

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