NHL season opener: Canadiens visit Maple Leafs in Toronto

The Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs open the 2026-27 NHL season tonight at 7 p.m. ET in Toronto. Both teams enter the game 0-0-0. The matchup will be broadcast on TVA Sports and Sportsnet, and streamed on ESPN+, Sportsnet+ and TVAS+.

Lineups

Montreal's projected forward lines are Kreider-Suzuki-Caufield, Slafkovsky-Newhook-Demidov and Texier-Danault-Dach, with Matheson-Dobson and Hutson-Carrier anchoring the defense pairs. Jakub Dobes is expected to start in goal, backed up by Samuel Montembeault.

The two sources differ on Toronto's lineup. NHL.com reports that Kirill Marchenko, acquired earlier in the week from the Columbus Blue Jackets, will be in the lineup, while Benoit-Olivier Groulx is scratched. Habs Eyes on the Prize, by contrast, lists a lineup with Groulx playing and does not mention Marchenko at all, suggesting his availability may not have been finalized at the time of that report. According to NHL.com, Toronto general manager John Chayka said Marchenko would play if his immigration status is resolved in time. Sergei Bobrovsky is set to start in net for Toronto, with Anthony Stolarz as backup.

Debuts and roster notes

According to Habs Eyes on the Prize, tonight marks Chris Kreider's first meaningful game in a Canadiens jersey — he is the team's only new addition since its playoff run last spring. On Toronto's side, Gavin McKenna, the first overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, is set to make his NHL debut.

Injuries and scratches

Montreal will be without Kaiden Guhle, who is expected to miss 7-10 games following offseason adductor surgery. The sources disagree on Oliver Kapanen's status: NHL.com lists him as injured (lower body), while Habs Eyes on the Prize lists him among the scratches. Florian Xhekaj and Adam Engstrom are also scratched for Montreal. On Toronto's side, per NHL.com, forward Dakota Joshua (core) has begun skating but remains week-to-week, while Max Domi is out for an undisclosed reason.

As Habs Eyes on the Prize notes, Bobrovsky has gone winless in his last three starts against Montreal over the past two seasons, allowing 11 goals in those games, suggesting tonight's opener could produce plenty of scoring.