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Canadiens Coach Sounds Off After Poor Play Against Maple Leafs

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Antonio Losada | Last updated Sep 26, 2025 11:42 AM ET

The Montreal Canadiens suffered a 7–2 blowout loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs in preseason, prompting sharp criticism from head coach Martin St. Louis.

“If I look at our camp, it’s the first day I can say I’m disappointed,” St. Louis said after Thursday’s game in Montreal against one of the Habs' bitter rivals. The coach pointed to only Mike Matheson and Filip Mesar as players who offered positives on Thursday.

The Canadiens dressed most of their top players, while Toronto iced only a few starters, waiting for Saturday's rematch between both teams to use their star players.

Injuries added to the Canadiens' frustration, with Kaiden Guhle, Noah Dobson and David Reinbacher all sidelined by groin or undisclosed issues. St. Louis confirmed, per The Hockey News' Karine Hains, that Dobson and Guhle are day-to-day.

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“I think we were outworked tonight. They had more energy, more effort, everything. It wasn’t a good game for us,” St. Louis said.

The Canadiens entered the game following St. Louis' warnings about the need for urgency early in camp.

“Today was average,” St. Louis said. “Have to be sure it’s one time and that we don’t continue to repeat that.”

Montreal acquired Dobson this offseason from the New York Islanders in a major trade and quickly signed him to an eight-year, $76 million extension. The 25-year-old played 15:16 before leaving.

Reinbacher, meanwhile, was drafted with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2023 NHL draft and also left in the third period. He was under evaluation after the game, and no update on his status has been provided as of Friday morning.

For St. Louis, the main concern lies in players failing to show commitment across all zones for the full 60 minutes of playing time.

“It’s not even offensively, to me, it’s the defensive part of the game, that’s not as fun, you know. That’s got to be doubted now,” St. Louis said.

The Canadiens will face Toronto's strongest players in a Saturday rematch.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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