Our takeaways from the Maple Leafs' season-opening loss in Montreal

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Let's talk about a difficult opening day for the Maple Leafs.

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The Leafs lost to the Canadiens 1-0 in Montreal on Wednesday night, meaning Toronto failed to score in the first game of the season for the first time in 21 years. In the 2003–04 season, the Leafs were defeated by the Canadiens 4-0 in Toronto.

And it happened after another injury to goalkeeper Joseph Woll.

So no, it wasn't a day Craig Berube will remember fondly in his first game as Leafs coach.

Our takeaways:

NO EXCUSES

Canadiens goaltender Sam Montembeault was phenomenal with 48 saves at the Bell Centre.

The Leafs defeated the 27-year-old at least three times, but they failed to defeat their iron opponent.

There is no category for near-goals in the National Hockey League rankings and no points are awarded for near-goals.

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You've heard before – like every year during the playoffs in Toronto – that the club's best players need to make a change.

Auston Matthewsaw in his first game as Leafs captain, and Mitch Marner had six shots on goal, the most among the Leafs. Off a pass from Max Pacioretty, Matthews had a great opportunity to tie the game in the final seconds, but shot the puck into Montembeault's chest.

Neither of them was able to tilt the ice in the Leafs' favor. The same goes for William Nylander, who had a quiet shot on goal, and John Tavares, who had four.

Scoring chances are great when the result is several goals, if not many. When the scoreboard reads zero at the end of the night, the chances of scoring don't add up to anything.

And the power play, which should be strengthened under new assistant coach Marc Savard, did not allow a goal on four occasions.

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This was the first time the Leafs were shut out since November 20, 2021, when the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated them 2-0 in Toronto. It was the first time the Leafs had failed to score in their first game since the 2003-04 season, when they lost to the Canadiens 4-0 on home ice.

Montembeault is no Carey Price or Ken Dryden. That the Leafs couldn't beat him – on an always exciting night in Montreal when Toronto is in the building – had to take a leisurely flight to New Jersey, where former coach Sheldon Keefe and the Devils await Thursday's game.

Coincidentally, Easton Cowan scored on Wednesday night, but it was for the London Knights in Owen Sound against the Attack, winning 5-4 London. For much of the offseason, Cowan was placed on napkins with Leafs Nation.

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Instead, the 19-year-old was unremarkable in the preseason, which needed to happen for him to break through the Leafs' lineup and return to the Ontario Hockey League. If only Cowan could pass on some of that humble offense to his future teammates on Wednesday night, in his first game of the season for the Knights.

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ON THE LEAF WEB

There is no way to paint a positive in this news he came from the Leafs earlier in the day, not long after news broke that Dennis Hildeby had been recalled from Toronto.

The fact that the injury-prone Woll was unable to play in the first of 82 games despite making it through the preseason relatively unscathed by no means bodes well for the rest of the 2024-25 season.

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Given Woll's background, and he's gotten to know the Leafs' medical staff better than most players, does anyone have any confidence that he'll be able to get through the rest of the season without any issues once he returns? Even fans who say it's blue and white and who try to remain optimistic at every step know that the future must be fearful.

Woll's absence in Montreal was somewhat alleviated by the play of Anthony Stolarz. When he spoke to us after Tuesday's practice, Stolarz was looking forward to making his Leafs debut in his home state on Thursday against the Devils.

Instead, Stolarz was called up 24 hours earlier than he was scheduled to play and made 26 saves. There have been questions about how much work Stolarz can do, which is fair considering he's 30 years old and hasn't played more than 28 games in a single NHL season.

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A one-game sample size is almost too small to tell us anything. Still, some should be reassured that Stolarz didn't shine with four or five goals, and now we got a look at Dennis Hildeby in his NHL debut on Thursday.

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INFLUENCE

Berube wants the Leafs to play a tougher, more direct game than under Keefe, as we saw at various points throughout the evening.

Final checks, strong pre-attacks – the Leafs gave the Canadiens trouble for most of the game.

Montreal scored the only goal on a power play in the first quarter, which was a testament to the Leafs' good play in the defensive zone.

Chris Tanev, known for his combative attitude, blocked four shots, the most on the team. When Simon Benoit and Jake McCabe were on the ice, the Canadiens were unable to make an impact at five-on-five.

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Steven Lorentz brought enthusiasm to the fourth line along with David Kampf and Ryan Reaves, and the trio shined.

Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who may have had the Leafs' best chance when he stopped by Montembeault after leaving the penalty area, was effective.

As for the future of Timothy Liljegren, who may be on the trade block, the Leafs have an advantage in attacking right-backs and will add another once Jani Hakanpaa returns from a knee injury.

If Liljegren, the Leafs' first-round draft pick in 2017, was going to make a significant impact, we would have seen it by now. When Berube called him out last week for not being harder on his game, it meant Liljegren's time remaining in Toronto could be short. We'll see where this goes.

tkoshan@postmedia.com

X: @koshtorontosun

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