Maple Leafs Dominate Canadiens 7–2 in Montreal

Scott Laughton leads Toronto’s offence with two goals and two assists

MONTREAL — The Toronto Maple Leafs erupted for seven goals at the Bell Centre on Thursday night, cruising to a 7–2 preseason win over the Montreal Canadiens behind a four-point performance from Scott Laughton.

Laughton opened the scoring just over four minutes into the game and added another midway through the first, giving Toronto an early 2–0 lead. Montreal’s Mike Matheson responded with a power-play goal at 16:26, but Bobby McMann restored the Leafs’ two-goal advantage just 31 seconds later to close out a dominant first period.

In the second, Montreal narrowed the gap again with a power-play tally from Patrik Laine before Toronto’s depth took over. Steven Lorentz struck twice — once on the power play and once at even strength — pushing the score to 5–2.

Actually, they do count https://t.co/g413YRgKDr pic.twitter.com/R3T7On813k

— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) September 26, 2025

The Leafs continued to pour it on in the third. Defenceman Matt Benning scored at 5:03, and Ryan Tverberg added another at 12:23 to seal the commanding win.

Dennis Hildeby earned the victory in goal, stopping 11 of 13 shots in 59 minutes of play. Laughton was named first star, followed by Lorentz and Benning.

Toronto outshot Montreal 25–13 and went 1-for-3 on the power play, while the Canadiens finished 2-for-5. Attendance was 20,962 at Centre Bell.

What It Means

The win capped a strong start to Toronto’s exhibition schedule, improving their preseason record to 2–1. Laughton’s veteran presence and Lorentz’s two-goal effort highlighted the team’s growing offensive depth as roster decisions draw closer.

Game Summary

• Final Score: Toronto 7 – Montreal 2

• Venue: Bell Centre, Montreal

• Shots on Goal: Toronto 25 | Montreal 13

• Power Plays: Toronto 1-for-3 | Montreal 2-for-5

• Three Stars:

  1. Scott Laughton (TOR)

  2. Steven Lorentz (TOR)

  3. Matt Benning (TOR)

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