The Montreal Canadiens defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 in Toronto on Saturday night, taking two points in the second Atlantic Division derby of the NHL season, Sportnet reported. Alex Newhook scored twice for the visitors, with Chris Kreider and Zachary Bolduc adding the other goals in a game in which Montreal goaltender Jacob Fowler repeatedly denied Toronto’s top line.
The game was played at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, beginning at 01:00 local time on November 8, according to HokejSpravy.sk. Montreal entered as slight favorites, and the result extended a pattern: the two teams also met in the season-opening game, which Toronto hosted and lost 2-3, HokejSpravy.sk noted.
Newhook Strikes Twice as Montreal Builds 3-0 Lead
Montreal opened the scoring at 5:56 of the first period when Newhook redirected a pass from Oliver Kapanen; the puck deflected in off Maple Leafs defenseman Jake McCabe’s skate into the Toronto net. Newhook made it 2-0 at 13:06, tipping a shot from Kaiden Guhle in front of Sergei Bobrovsky, with Kirby Dach picking up the second assist, Sportnet reported.
Chris Kreider extended the lead to 3-0 at 32:57 of the second period, finishing a feed from Gavin McKenna with a wrist shot from the blue line. William Nylander pulled Toronto within two at 46:19 on the power play, assisted by Darren Raddysh and Auston Matthews, and Gavin McKenna cut the deficit to one at 47:14 off a rebound, with Dakota Joshua assisting.
Bolduc Seals It Late as Fowler Holds Firm
Zachary Bolduc restored Montreal’s two-goal cushion at 52:15, scoring from the right circle on a one-timer set up by Lane Hutson and Cole Caufield. Toronto had Troy Stecher sent off for hooking at 51:37 and Arber Xhekaj for unsportsmanlike conduct at 44:40, while Juraj Slafkovsky drew a double minor for a high stick at 56:27, Sportnet reported.
Fowler was the difference in net, turning aside Auston Matthews in a goalmouth scramble at 15:28 and stopping Nylander twice, including a shot that hit the post at 28:06. Bobrovsky made several sharp saves for Toronto, including a glove stop on Jake Evans’ backhand at 57:20, but could not keep out four pucks.
Tavares Returns, Suzuki’s Team Faces Injuries
Toronto welcomed back captain John Tavares, who played after missing three weeks, while Montreal was without captain Nick Suzuki’s full complement of teammates: defenseman Mike Matheson, forward Ivan Demidov and goaltender Sam Montembeault were all sidelined, HokejSpravy.sk reported. Slafkovsky, Slovakia’s forward on Montreal, finished with an assist, a plus rating, four shots and two hits, though his high-stick penalty came late in the third period.
FAQ
Newhook, Kreider and Bolduc scored for Montreal in the 4-2 win over Toronto. Alex Newhook scored twice, Chris Kreider once and Zachary Bolduc once for the Canadiens, Sportnet reported.
The derby took place at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on November 8 at 01:00, HokejSpravy.sk reported.
Toronto also hosted and lost the season-opening meeting 2-3, so Montreal left with wins in both meetings of the 2026-27 campaign so far, HokejSpravy.sk noted.
This was the second meeting between the Original Six rivals this season, and Montreal now hold the early edge in the head-to-head series.