TORONTO — In a tight defensive battle at Scotiabank Arena, Alexandre Texier played the hero, scoring a spectacular shootout winner to lift the Montreal Canadiens to a 2-1 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night.
The win improves Montreal’s record to 15-9-3, while the Maple Leafs (13-11-4) saw their three-game winning streak come to an end.
Shootout Drama: Texier Seale the Deal
After a 1-1 deadlock through regulation and overtime, the game required a tiebreaker.
- Cole Caufield opened the scoring in the shootout for Montreal.
- Alexandre Texier secured the extra point by moving in on Leafs goaltender Dennis Hildeby and executing a brilliant one-handed deke.
- Canadiens goaltender Jakub Dobes (22 saves) stopped Toronto captain John Tavares on the final attempt to seal the win.
Game Recap: Caufield and Laughton Trade Goals
The Canadiens struck first in the second period. At 8:25, Cole Caufield connected on the power play, sliding his 15th goal of the season past Hildeby.
- The Streak Continues: With the goal, Caufield extended his point streak to 10 games. This marks the second double-digit point streak of his young career.
Toronto responded in the third period while playing shorthanded. At 10:28, Scott Laughton broke away and blasted a slap shot past Dobes from the hash marks. It was Laughton’s third goal in as many games, setting the stage for overtime.
Goaltending Spotlight: Hildeby Steps Up
With Toronto netminders Joseph Woll and Anthony Stolarz both on injured reserve, rookie Dennis Hildeby was called upon to start. He performed admirably, stopping 33 shots to keep Toronto in the game.
- Injury Update: Leafs head coach Craig Berube confirmed that Woll is expected to be out for “a week… hopefully” after suffering a lower-body injury on Thursday against Carolina.
Key Stats & Milestones
Morgan Rielly Hits 900 Games Saturday marked a major career milestone for Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly, who played in his 900th regular-season NHL game. The 31-year-old now ranks eighth all-time in franchise history, chasing George Armstrong’s record of 1,188 games.
Lane Hutson Chasing History Canadiens rookie defenseman Lane Hutson continues his incredible 2025 campaign. With 55 assists in the calendar year, he is just two assists shy of tying Guy Lapointe (1976) and P.K. Subban (2015) for the second-most assists in a calendar year by a Montreal defenseman. J.C. Tremblay holds the record with 57 (set in 1971).
Up Next
- Montreal Canadiens: Return home to host the St. Louis Blues on Sunday.
- Toronto Maple Leafs: Remain in Toronto to host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday
