Toronto Maple Leafs Secure Victory Amid Injury Concerns

TORONTO — The Toronto Maple Leafs narrowly defeated the Montreal Canadiens with a 2-1 victory on Thursday evening. However, moments of concern arose during the match when star forward William Nylander exited the game early due to a head injury.

The incident occurred midway through the first period. Nylander was involved in a clash, resulting in a knock to the head after being tripped in the neutral zone. The team cited ‘precautionary reasons’ for keeping him off the ice for the remainder of the game. Head Coach Craig Berube later reassured that Nylander avoided any serious injury, stating, “Willy will be fine. Nothing to worry about.”

This injury scare follows another recent incident involving the Maple Leafs, as Auston Matthews was absent from the game due to an upper-body ailment that occurred during practice earlier in the week. Berube confirmed that Matthews was held back from playing as a precaution.

In Thursday’s match, John Tavares and Nick Robertson were the scorers for Toronto, contributing to the team’s first pre-season win. Montreal’s lone goal came from Christian Dvorak. The Leafs dominated with a 33-17 shot advantage over the Canadiens.

The match saw Tavares open the scoring at 10:12 of the first period with a tip-in via a precise pass from Mitch Marner, marking Tavares’ fourth point in two games. “There were better sides to our game,” stated Tavares, commenting on the improved connected play across the rink.

Montreal equalized at 5:39 during the second period. Dvorak capitalized on a skillful feed from Alexandre Barre-Boulet, evading Toronto defender Morgan Rielly to score past goalie Anthony Stolarz.

Robertson initially missed two breakaway opportunities but eventually delivered the decisive goal at 18:04. He managed a takeaway from Canadiens defender Adam Engstrom, allowing him to score between the legs of Montreal goaltender Jakub Dobes.

The third period saw Matt Murray take over for Stolarz, marking his first appearance since a hip injury in April 2023. Murray effectively blocked all seven shots he encountered. Coach Berube praised Murray, emphasizing, “He’s had a good summer, healthy summer. This guy has won a couple (Stanley) Cups. He knows how to win. He’s a good goalie.”

Anthony Stolarz concluded the match with nine saves, while Jakub Dobes registered 32 stops for Montreal.

The two rivals are set to face off once more this coming Saturday, this time in Montreal.