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3 takeaways from Leafs-Canadiens: Tavares was best player in loss, penalty kill remains work in progress
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Photo credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
Arun Srinivasan
Sep 28, 2025, 06:00 EDTUpdated: Sep 27, 2025, 22:28 EDT
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It will be an electric atmosphere on October 8 when the Toronto Maple Leafs host the Montreal Canadiens for opening night, but the same couldn’t be said of Saturday’s preseason game.
Montreal defeated Toronto 4-2, led by Lane Hutson, while Alex Newhook, Riley Kidney and Sean Farrell also scored for Montreal. John Tavares and William Nylander scored for Toronto. Anthony Stolarz made 15 saves on 18 shots, before Artur Akhtyamov took over for the third period.
Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube is still testing out line combinations, but the roster is beginning to take shape. There was plenty of room for improvement from the incumbent roster regulars, in all facets of the game.
“I liked their 6-on-5s,” Berube said post-game. “Little signs of life. It’s one of those preseason games. I thought Montreal worked hard. They played a simple game and we kind of complicated things at times. That’s what you get sometimes in preseason games.”
Here are three quick takeaways from Saturday’s Maple Leafs-Canadiens preseason contest: 

John Tavares was Leafs’ best player in losing effort

There weren’t many positives for the Maple Leafs, but John Tavares look every bit the part of future Hall of Fame forward, and was Toronto’s best player in the losing effort. Tavares registered Toronto’s lone goal, and was one of the few players generating looks for his linemates during the evening. It’s easy to take Tavares for granted, but he’s showing no signs of slowing down entering his age-35 season, and while everyone will want to burn Saturday’s tape, or perhaps erase the game altogether from their collective memories, he has been constantly stellar throughout the preseason.
Tavares remains a menace at the net-front and jammed away near the goal-mouth before William Nylander tucked the puck home late in the third period, while Matias Maccelli joined the line. Will Maccelli-Tavares-Nylander emerge as Toronto’s second line for opening night, with Max Domi in pole position to start with Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies?

Dakota Joshua, Nicolas Roy and Matias Maccelli still need time to build chemistry

Dakota Joshua, Nicolas Roy and Matias Maccelli formed an all-newcomer line on Saturday, and it could be Toronto’s third line during the regular season. All three players will need to continue to build chemistry because while there’s reason to be optimistic about their shared traits, it takes time to jell.
“We would have liked to have some more offensive zone time for sure,” Joshua said post-game. “But like you said, first game out there, just getting a feel for each other. Maybe a second or two late here and there, but that’s what the preseason is for, and we’ll sharpen up and be ready to go.”
Joshua and Roy’s speed, size and physicality ought to make them a tough pairing to play against, while Maccelli’s superior playmaking adds some offensive pop to what should operate as a true third line, capable of adding secondary scoring and plus-defence.
“I thought that that line possessed a lot of pucks in the offensive zone and heavy on it. I think it’s a long week. I was with our guys. It’s tough. It’s a tough week of practice and work. Some guys played in Montreal, too,” Berube assessed post-game.
It would appear likely that we’ll get another look at Joshua-Roy-Maccelli during Thursday’s preseason game and Berube is intent on experimenting with his combinations throughout the season. It would be unrealistic to expect instantaneous results, but surely Berube and the Leafs’ staff are looking for some more offensive pop during Thursday’s preseason game against the Detroit Red Wings.

Maple Leafs need to significantly improve closeouts on the penalty kill

Toronto finished last season with a league-average penalty kill, defending the man advantage at a 78 percent clip. With the caveat that there can be often little carryover value to the regular season, the Maple Leafs struggled badly on the penalty kill, allowing the Canadiens to operate with time and space.
Riley Kidney extended Montreal’s lead, stemming from a series of errors. Montreal worked the puck around, before a clearing attempt hit Matthew Knies in the skate, right into Sean Farrell’s pathway, before Kidney jammed home the loose puck. There was poor spatial sense and a lack of urgency displayed by all of Toronto’s penalty killers throughout the night, and you come away with the idea that a lot of the errors were a function of preseason ennui.
Lane Hutson’s dynamism with the puck is certainly noted, but the Leafs made it way too easy for the reigning Calder Trophy winner to get every look he wanted. Hutson walked in from the point, froze Dakota Joshua and beat Anthony Stolarz cleanly during the second period. The closeouts and communications were poor, and would be major points of emphasis if this were a regular season game. With two weeks to go until the season opener, there’s plenty of room for improvement.
Toronto didn’t fare much better in the third period. Artur Akhtyamov was thrust into action almost immediately, stopping Owen Beck on a partial breakaway attempt. At this point, the result was academic, and we’ll be looking to see if Toronto submits a better effort on the penalty kill leading into the season opener. For what it’s worth, Craig Berube didn’t appear altogether concerned about his special teams units following the game.

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