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Maple Leafs vs. Canadiens: Live score, updates, highlights from NHL Wednesday night game

Hockey season finally gets underway in Canada on Wednesday night. The Maple Leafs and Canadiens will battle it out in the opener in Montreal.

The teams enter the 2022-23 season on opposite ends of the spectrum.

The Maple Leafs are expected to be a top team once again. Their 115 points in 2021-22 were the fourth-most in the NHL. Auston Matthews scored 60 goals, earning him his second consecutive Rocket Richard Trophy.

Of course, nothing matters until the postseason, and for the sixth consecutive playoff the Maple Leafs were bounced in the first round last year. They fell in seven games to eventual Eastern Conference champion Tampa Bay. Toronto once again enters this season with hopes of winning a playoff series for the first time since 2004.

Toronto reshaped its goaltending this summer. It let Jack Campbell walk as a free agent and traded Petr Mrazek. In their places are Matt Murray and Ilya Samsonov, who figure to split starting duties. Could that be the key to Toronto finally making a deep postseason run?

The Canadiens finished with the league’s worst record last season. That was followed by a drama-filled offseason, starting with the team’s decision not to draft Shane Wright with the No. 1 overall pick, but instead selected Juraj Slafkovsky. After that, the Canadiens made a number of trades, which included acquiring Sean Monahan, Evgenii Dadonov, Mike Matheson and Kirby Dach while saying goodbye to Jeff Petry and Alexander Romanov.

The Canadiens aren’t expected to be good. In fact, many see them as the clear bottom team in the Atlantic Division. But if any team knows what it’s like to prove the doubters wrong, it’s Montreal, which is two seasons removed from shocking Toronto in the first round of the 2021 playoffs by coming back from a 3-1 series deficit.

MORE: Watch the 2022-23 NHL season on ESPN+

The Sporting News will provide updates and highlights for the Maple Leafs vs. Canadiens opening night game.

Maple Leafs vs. Canadiens score

Matchups P1 P2 P3 OT F
Maple Leafs 1 – – – –
Canadiens 0 – – – –

Maple Leafs vs. Canadiens live updates, highlights

Second period

8:27 pm — Toronto gets its first full power play of the night, as Rem Pitlick will sit for two for hooking.

8:21 pm — GOAL! Just 33 seconds into the second and Caufield finishes off a 2 on 1 with Suzuki. He beats Murray high on the glove side, finding the back bar of the net. An excellent start to the middle frame for Montreal.

End first period

8:02 pm — After 20 minutes, it’s 1-0 Maple Leafs. It wasn’t an overly impressive period from Toronto, but Murray looked sharp in net. An excellent chance for Suzuki and Caufield on a 2 on 1 in the final seconds, but his shot attempt misses a wide open net. Shots are 8-8.

7:55 pm — Back to even strength, doing nothing for either side on their respective man advantages.

7:51 pm — That will do it for the Canadiens’ power play as Chris Widemen is called for interference. It will be 4 on 4 for 1:14 before the Maple Leafs get their first crack at the PP. Murray making a couple of big stops during the shortened man advantage chance for the Habs.

7:47 pm — For the third time this period, Toronto is handed another penalty. This time, it’s Rasmus Sandin sent off for tripping Slafkovsky. Montreal is 0 for 2 so far tonight on the man advantage.

7:45 pm — GOAL! The top line for Toronto gets the job done, as Mitch Marner finds an open bunting in front of the net for the goal. Looks like the Montreal defense got caught puck watching and no one had Bunting covered.

7:44 pm — The Canadiens have been the better team so far, thanks a lot to their young defensemen looking strong. Jordan Harris, Kaiden Guhle and Arber Xhekaj all look like they belong so far, stepping up in the game and playing physically as well.

7:38 pm — A much better power play by the Canadiens, getting some chances and shots on Murray, but they can’t score.

7:36 pm — Great glove save by Murray on Caufield. Montreal is able to keep the puck in at the blue line, then Josh Anderson flicks a backhand across to Caufield, who slings it over the net and into the glove of Murray.

7:35 pm — Another power play for the Habs, as Michael Bunting will sit for two minutes for holding Nick Suzuki. Cole Caufield put the first shot on net against Matt Murray on the delayed call, a solid blocker stop.

7:32 pm — Back to even strength, not a good power play for the Habs. No shots on goal and no real sustained time in the Toronto zone.

7:30 pm — Just over two minutes into the game, and the Canadiens head to the power play. Mark Giordano is called for interference against Evgenii Dadonov.

7:26 pm — After the Habs finished announcing all their players for their opening roster, we are finally underway at the Bell Center.

Pregame

7:03 pm — And here are the starting lines for both teams.

6:50 pm — Here’s the opening lineups for the Maple Leafs and Canadiens. Tavares is in for Toronto.

6:35 pm — Rookie lap for three of the Canadiens, as Juraj Slafkovsky, Kaiden Guhle and Arber Xhekaj make their NHL debuts tonight.

5:30 pm — It looks as if Matt Murray will get the start in goal for the Maple Leafs. He and Ilya Samsonov are expected to split duties to begin the season. John Tavares, who was expected to miss the first week with an oblique injury, is expected to play.

What time is Maple Leafs vs. Canadiens?

  • Time: 7 p.m. ET
  • Location: Bell Centre

The puck drop for the Maple Leafs and Canadiens game is set for 7 pm ET. The game will be played at the Bell Center in Montreal.

What channel is Maple Leafs vs. Canadiens on?

  • TV channels: Sportsnet (Canada)

Maple Leafs vs. Canadiens is available to watch live on Sportsnet in Canada.

It will not air on TV for viewers in the United States, but it is available to stream.

How to live stream Maple Leafs vs. Canadiens

Fans in the United States can stream Maple Leafs vs. Canadiens on fuboTV, which offers a free trial.

Viewers in Canada can stream the game on SN NOW.