Montreal controlled the pace of play from its blue line, with Noah Dobson, Lane Hutson, Kaiden Guhle and Mike Matheson controlling entries and placing the puck where the forwards could retrieve it easily on the forecheck. Toronto barely delivered any resistance at the net-front, as Montreal's Oliver Kapanen converted on a nifty passing sequence from Alex Newhook and Ivan Demidov for the game's opening goal.
Center Kirby Dach is out of action and on injured reserve with a fractured foot. Center Alex Newhook is out of action with a broken ankle and is also on injured reserve. Left winger Patrik Laine is out with an abdominal issue and defenseman Kaiden Guhle is on injured reserve and will miss 8-10 weeks after adductor muscle surgery. The center depth took a massive hit and so did the offense with the loss of Dach and NEwhook.