Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Montreal Canadiens: What to Expect From Game One
As the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens square off Wednesday to kick off the regular season, this is what you can expect to happen with these heated rivals.
It's been a century-old rivalry that's been as hot as the sun, and recent preseason events won't cool things down any. When the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Montreal Canadiens take the ice on Wednesday night, it not only kicks off the regular season but the 108th year that these teams take battle in their historic rivalry.
So what can we expect from the first game of the 2024-2025 NHL season between Toronto and Montreal? Let's take a look:
Will Ryan Reaves and Arber Xhekaj come to blows?
It's no secret that there is some ill will harbored from both teams as injuries to John Tavares and Patrik Laine has created the catalyst for an explosive start to the season. Montreal's Arber Xhekaj will be looking for vengeance as he looks to gain justice for Laine and perhaps try and put a Maple Leafs player on the shelf; it wouldn't be the first time Xhekaj went off the script. So will head coach Craig Berube send out his enforcer to keep the peace? Ryan Reaves has one role on the Maple Leafs and that is to intimidate. While Xhekaj may have a bit of a height and weight advantage, Reaves has been fighting for over a decade and his ability to control the fight will play into his advantage.
It would be in Toronto's best interest to set the tone early and while getting off to a hot start offensively is key, they need to establish they won't be pushed around and if you poke the Leafs, they will poke back. Letting Reaves on the ice whenever Xhekaj is there as well will hopefully neutralize the peskiness of Montreal's enforcer and create a barrier between the Maple Leafs stars and Xhekaj.
Max Pacioretty Returns to Montreal
It's not necessarily the homecoming that Canadiens fans were hoping for, as they'll see Max Pacioretty line up for their rivals but for 'Patches' it must feel pretty darn good. Coming off two injury-plagued seasons where he never felt comfortable or felt like he could contribute, Pacioretty had a game plan in mind this summer to get healthy and prove he still belongs, and boy can he.
Impressing the Maple Leafs on his PTO, they signed Pacioretty on Monday to a one-year deal and Pacioretty will face his old team for the first time as a member of the Blue and White. After finding instant chemistry with his linemates and showing a quick first step that felt like the Max of old; it's exciting for both Leafs fans and Pacioretty. He not only has something to prove to the whole league but he wants to play extra hard against his former team, something that should add some extra motivation. Just don't expect the crowd to be cheering whenever he has the puck.
Pacioretty's return to Montreal will be special, and the fans should appreciate Pacioretty regardless of the jersey he wears; he's a household name in Montreal and still has some love for the city after all these years.
Will Craig Berube be able to handle the pressure on opening night?
Speaking of setting the tone, Toronto's new head coach needs to do the same but in a much quieter manner. He was hired this summer to give the Maple Leafs a new identity and Berube is known for speaking his mind behind the bench; often firing his guys up, especially when they have a few defensive lapses. But it would be in Berube's best interest if he quietly set the tone and made the Maple Leafs unstoppable; experimenting, adjusting, and eventually overpowering. Setting the tone may be splitting up Matthews and Marner. It may be allowing Ryan Reaves to keep an eye on Arber Xhekaj. It may be letting Oliver Ekman-Larsson run the powerplay. Whatever it is, Berube needs to do it.
The pressure of working under a microscope in Toronto is immense, and something Berube needs to manage on night one. The media and fans will be keeping a close eye on every move he makes, so perhaps Berube should start learning to change the questions when everyone knows the answers and keep them on their toes as much as they'll try to do the same. Berube has a game plan and whether we see it night one or night fifty; he needs to show Toronto that he can look at this pressure head on and say "It's my time to shine."
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