Lagrange: Montreal Canadiens Rely On Depth In First Win

While Nylander scored both of Toronto’s goals, it was the newly assembled line of Jack Roslovic, Auston Matthews and Marchenko that looked like the most dangerous combination for the Leafs. With the last change on home ice, Toronto head coach Jim Hiller was able to use that line against Montreal’s top unit of Cole Caufield, newcomer Chris Kreider and Selke winner Nick Suzuki.

It was not a particularly good night for Montreal’s first line. They spent far too much time defending and chasing the puck while Toronto’s top unit dictated the pace. Caufield, Suzuki and Kreider finished the night without a point, while Caufield and Suzuki were both minus-one.

Kreider’s Canadiens debut was particularly uneven. The big winger, still learning Martin St-Louis’ system and getting used to two new linemates, looked lost at times and finished with just one shot on goal, three hits and 14:21 of ice time. That does not mean the experiment is a failure. It means it is exactly what it looked like on paper: an experiment.

As for Caufield and Suzuki, they seemed to miss Slafkovsky. That is hardly surprising. The three formed one of the league’s more productive lines last season, and replacing a familiar piece with a much different player is going to require some adjustment. Chemistry is not something a coach can draw on a whiteboard and have appear magically at puck drop. Their ice time reflected the night’s struggles. Suzuki, who averaged almost 21 minutes per game last season, played 18:43, while Caufield saw 15:55, well below his 18-plus-minute average from last season. Kreider’s 14:21 was also considerably lighter than what you would expect from a top-line winger.

The good news is that the Montreal Canadiens did not need their first line to carry them on opening night. In fact, they won because other parts of the lineup stepped up when required. And nobody stepped up more than Jakub Dobeš. After allowing Nylander to score on Toronto’s second shot of the game, Dobeš settled down and made several key saves, particularly against the Leafs’ most dangerous line. He stopped all nine of the shots he faced from Marchenko, Matthews and Roslovic, giving Montreal the time it needed to find its legs.

That may be the biggest takeaway from this opening-night victory. A year ago, Montreal opened its season on the road against Toronto and left with more questions than answers after a 5-2 loss. This time, the Canadiens left Toronto with two points despite their top line having one of its quieter nights. Depth is the kind of problem a coach would rather have. The season is a long road, and every line will have nights when the engine refuses to turn over on the first try. The important thing is having enough other vehicles in the garage to get you where you need to go.

On Tuesday night, the Canadiens did. The first line can worry about finding its rhythm later. For now, two points will do just fine.