The dangerous information is the Canadiens misplaced their season opener 5-2 to the Maple Leafs on Wednesday night time with the final two Toronto targets scored into an empty web.
The excellent news is the Canadiens’ penalty-killing — a query mark coming into the season — was excellent.
The Canadiens ranked ninth within the NHL final season on the PK with an 80.9 per cent success price. However three key members of final season’s PK at the moment are gone — defenceman
David Savard
retired, whereas
Christian Dvorak
signed as a free agent with the Philadelphia Flyers and
Joel Armia
signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Kings.
Towards the Leafs on Wednesday night time, the primary PK unit had forwards Jake Evans and Josh Anderson with defencemen Mike Matheson and Noah Dobson, whereas the second unit had Oliver Kapanen and Alex Newhook with Kaiden Guhle and Alexandre Service.
The Leafs went 0-for-2 on the ability play and had just one shot on purpose.
After Patrik Laine took a hooking penalty at 5:08 of the primary interval with the Leafs successful 1-0, Anderson had a great scoring probability after which Kapanen scored his first NHL purpose solely 31 seconds into the PK. Newhook additionally had a great scoring probability on that PK, however fired a shot simply large of the online. The Canadiens outshot the Leafs 2-1 whereas killing off Laine’s penalty.
LE 1ER DE KAPPY DANS LA LNHKAPPY’S FIRST NHL GOAL#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/pIU62Gq6Yr
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) October 8, 2025
After Ivan Demidov took a hooking penalty at 5:06 of the third interval with the rating tied 2-2, the Leafs didn’t get a shot on purpose on the following energy play.
It’s just one recreation, however there’s motive to consider the Canadiens’ PK can be a power once more this season.
Whereas Savard led the Canadiens with 180 blocked pictures final season, Dobson is far more cellular on the PK. Head coach Martin St. Louis famous throughout coaching camp Kapanen has an “NHL pc” in relation to his hockey IQ and Newhook brings added pace to the PK, much like what Paul Byron used to do.
The Canadiens confirmed towards the Leafs they are going to be aggressive on the PK.
Evans led all NHL forwards in PK ice time final season
, whereas
Matheson ranked second amongst defencemen
. The arrival of Dobson
in a commerce with the New York Islanders this summer time
will reduce down on Matheson’s total ice time and will make him more practical in all conditions. Final season, Matheson led the Canadiens in ice time with a median of 25:05 per recreation, which ranked seventh within the NHL. Towards the Leafs on Wednesday night time, Matheson had 22:32 of ice time, whereas Dobson led the workforce with 22:56.
The Canadiens scored 9 short-handed targets final season, led by Evans and Armia with three every, which ranked sixth within the NHL.
Newhook killed penalties whereas taking part in junior with the BCHL’s Victoria Grizzlies and at Boston School. He’s enthusiastic about getting a possibility to do it once more.
“You earn belief from the coach,” Newhook stated throughout coaching camp. “I believe it helps with being extra concerned with the sport. I believe whenever you’re taking part in extra you’re concerned slightly bit extra. Confidence comes from that and incomes the belief of your coach goes a good distance all year long, for certain.”
That’s what occurred final season when St. Louis determined to place Anderson on the PK and he thrived in that new function. It additionally helped Anderson’s total recreation after a disappointing 2023-24 season.
“I’m not as large as Andy, however I believe I’ve some comparable attributes there,” Newhook stated. “Utilizing these to my benefit. … I believe pace’s an enormous a part of the penalty kill. Being defensively dependable is an enormous a part of it, however I believe utilizing my pace is one thing I can catch some groups off guard, some energy performs off guard.”
Evans believes Newhook may be efficient on the PK.
“He’s bought nice pace and nice hockey IQ and also you want slightly grit to your recreation and he positively has that,” Evans stated throughout coaching camp. “So he’s going to be nice on the market. I at all times inform him you get slightly bit extra ice time often when you find yourself killing and there are possibilities on the market in the event you can learn the play effectively.”
Having the ability to learn the play effectively is a key to being a profitable penalty-killer.
“I believe it’s studying the performs effectively and reacting effectively and having a great stick and being keen to be in these ugly lanes the place it will get slightly painful typically,” Evans stated. “If you are able to do that typically alternatives come from that. Pauly (Byron) was simply actually good at studying performs and seeing alternatives and I believe Newy’s bought that potential as effectively.
“It’s being sensible about it and typically you generally is a step forward of possibly what a workforce needs to do and you may have a misleading stick the place you would possibly let the workforce suppose that there’s a lane open and take that away fast,” Evans added. “I believe from all that you simply frustrate quite a lot of groups and create your personal alternatives.”
That’s precisely what the Canadiens did on the PK towards the Leafs.
scowan@postmedia.com
x.com/StuCowan1
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