 TM
Your team. Five minutes. You’re caught up.
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Montreal
Hockey
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| Free edition / No. 001 |
4 min read |
POSTGAME FIVE.
One goal. Forty-eight answers.
Final · Season opener · Bell Centre
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MTL
Montréal Canadiens
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1:0
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TOR
Toronto Maple Leafs
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Wednesday, October 9, 2024 · Montréal, Québec
The 30-Second Version
Montreal beat Toronto 1-0 because Cole Caufield converted a first-period power play and
Samuel Montembeault stopped all 48 shots. Toronto kept coming, but never found an
equalizer. It was a narrow win built on goaltending and special teams—not a comfortable
night protecting the lead.
If you remember one thing: Montembeault made one goal enough.
Result and shutout: NHL Morning Skate
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TM
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Postgame Five
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| 01 |
What Actually Happened
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Montreal scored early, then spent the rest of the night trying to add breathing room.
Toronto’s Anthony Stolarz kept that second goal out; Montembeault kept every Toronto
goal out. The shot count finished 48-27 for the visitors.
First period / Montreal strikes
Caufield finished the game’s only scoring play. The Canadiens took a one-goal lead
into the intermission, with no idea how long they would need to make it last.
Second period / No cushion
Montreal could not convert a 94-second five-on-three. Both goalies made important
saves, and the score stayed 1-0. The missed chance to extend the lead kept the game on
a knife-edge.
Third period / Hold the line
Toronto applied sustained pressure, then pulled Stolarz with about two minutes left.
Montreal survived the extra attacker and reached the final horn without conceding.
Period-by-period account: 98.5 Montréal
| 02 |
The Moment That Changed the Game
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07:48 · First period · Power-play goal
Caufield gives Montreal something to protect.
A passing sequence involving Kirby Dach and Juraj Slafkovský ended with Caufield
scoring. Montreal finished 1-for-5 with the extra skater; Toronto went 0-for-4.
Our read: this was the decisive scoring moment. After that, every save
carried more weight: Montreal needed to preserve its advantage, while Toronto had to
find a way through.
Scoring play and special teams: The Canadian Press / CityNews
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TM
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Postgame Five
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| 03 |
Good Night / Rough Night
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Good night
Samuel Montembeault
The difference-maker
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48/48 |
A shutout under heavy pressure. His glove stop on Auston Matthews in the second period
and another late Matthews save helped keep the lead intact.
Cole Caufield
One power-play finish became the winner. On a night with little room for error,
Montreal’s scorer delivered the touch that mattered.
Anthony Stolarz
26 saves on 27 shots in defeat. Toronto’s goalie gave his team a chance; the
scoreboard was not a fair reflection of his performance.
Rough night
Toronto’s power play
Four opportunities, no goals. In a one-goal game, that empty column was costly.
Montreal’s workload without the puck
Allowing 48 shots left too much on one goalie. Our concern: the Canadiens need more
shifts that end in Toronto’s zone, rather than another save.
Performances: The Canadian Press / CityNews
Montreal starts 1-0-0 with two points; Toronto starts 0-1-0. That is a good opening
night, not evidence of a playoff trend. One game is far too early to judge either team’s
season.
The useful takeaway: Montreal showed it could protect a fragile lead.
The next test is making the job less demanding on its goalie. With Boston waiting the
following night, there is little time to recover or settle into the win.
Opening records and next opponent: 98.5 Montréal
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TM
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Postgame Five
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| 05 |
The One Thing People Will Talk About Tomorrow
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The Game In Five take
Montembeault stole the show.
And the two points.
His 48 saves set an NHL record for a shutout in a season opener. That is the headline
fans will remember long after the details of the power plays fade.
For someone who missed it, here is the conversation-ready version: Montreal got the
finish it needed from Caufield, then an extraordinary night from its goalie. The
Canadiens won, but the shot gap is the reason to celebrate the result without getting
carried away.
One sentence to take with you
“Caufield gave them the lead. Montembeault made sure they kept it.”
Season-opening shutout record: NHL Morning Skate
YOU’RE CAUGHT UP.
You missed the game. You didn’t miss the story.
TM
Independent Montreal hockey briefings.
hello@gameinfive.com
Archival design sample created September 2026 about the October 9, 2024 game. Analysis
and editorial selections are Game In Five sample commentary. Not affiliated with or
endorsed by the NHL or its teams.