|
 Czech Tomas Plekanec scored his second goal of the night with 43
seconds left in regulation to restore Montreal's lead less than two
minutes after Morgan Rielly tied the game.
The Canadiens, out to prove last season's run to the Eastern
Conference final was no fluke, opened the scoring five minutes into
the game when Max Pacioretty sped by Toronto captain Dion Phaneuf
before beating Maple Leafs goalie Jonathan Bernier.
But Nazem Kadri tied the game shortly after and Tyler Bozak tallied
on a powerplay with under a minute to play in the first period to
give Toronto a 2-1 edge.
Plekanec tied the game when he took a nice pass from Alexei Emelin
and broke in alone and patiently waited for Bernier to make a move
before stuffing it home early in the second period.
 P.K. Subban, in his first game since being made one of the NHL's
top-paid defenseman, put Montreal in front midway through the final
period to set up the wild finish.
Meanwhile, the defending Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings
suffered a 4-0 shutout loss to the San Jose Sharks.
Tommy Wingels scored twice for the Sharks while Kings goaltender
Jonathan Quick allowed four goals in two periods and was pulled for
the start of the third.
[to top of second column] |
In Calgary, the Vancouver Canucks started on the right foot by
defeating the Flames 4-2.
The Boston Bruins, who had the NHL's best record last season but
lost in the second round of the playoffs, also left it late in their
season-opener as Chris Kelly scored with under two minutes to play
in a 2-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers.
Finnish goalie Tuukka Rask, who won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's
top goalie last season, stopped 19 shots in the victory.
Reilly Smith also scored for the Bruins, who were playing without
injured David Krejci, their leading scorer from last season. Sean
Couturier had the lone goal for Philadelphia.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue; Editing by Ian Ransom)
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
