The Maple Leafs vs Canadiens rivalry opens the 2026-27 season on Tuesday night, and the two clubs arrive from opposite directions. Montréal finished sixth overall on 106 points, the best mark by a Canadian team. Toronto missed the playoffs altogether and spent the summer rebuilding its goaltending.
Puck drop is 7:10pm ET at Scotiabank Arena, live on Sportsnet. Here is the board, the team news and where the value sits.
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Fixture | Montréal Canadiens at Toronto Maple Leafs |
| Date | Tuesday 29 September 2026 |
| Time | 7:10pm ET / 4:10pm PT |
| Venue | Scotiabank Arena, Toronto |
| TV | Sportsnet |
| 2025-26 head to head | Montréal won the series 3-1 |
Maple Leafs vs Canadiens odds
Maple Leafs vs Canadiens odds from two Canadian books, captured 23 September. Availability varies by province, so not every book here is open to every reader. Live prices across the league sit on our NHL odds page.
| Market | Side | Betano | PlayNow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moneyline | Toronto | -128 (1.78) | -120 (1.83) |
| Montréal | -105 (1.95) | -112 (1.89) | |
| Puck line | Toronto -1.5 | +190 (2.9) | +190 (2.9) |
| Montréal +1.5 | -263 (1.38) | -278 (1.36) | |
| Total | Line | 5.5 | 6.5 |
| Over | -154 (1.65) | +105 (2.05) | |
| Under | +115 (2.15) | -130 (1.77) |
The books do not agree on the total, and the gap is a full goal. Betano has this at 5.5. PlayNow and PointsBet both have it at 6.5. A six-goal game settles as over at one and under at the other two, which makes the line itself more valuable than the price attached to it. Worth checking before you commit either way.
Toronto is the home favourite at a short number despite finishing below Montréal by 24 points. That is home ice and a new goaltender being priced in, not last season’s table.
Toronto’s summer: the Bobrovsky bet
The Maple Leafs conceded their way out of the playoffs. Joseph Woll posted a .899 save percentage across 39 games and Anthony Stolarz .893 across 26. Five goaltenders dressed. Neither of the top two cleared .900.
General manager John Chayka’s answer was the biggest goaltender on the free-agent market. Sergei Bobrovsky signed a three-year contract on 1 July, worth $21 million at a $7 million cap hit, after leaving Florida. Woll went the other way, to Philadelphia with Simon Benoit, for Samuel Ersson, Emil Andrae and a third-round pick.
The rest of the summer was busy. Brandon Carlo went to St. Louis for two thirds, Darren Raddysh arrived from Tampa Bay, and Gavin McKenna signed a three-year deal on 3 July. Toronto has turned over a third of its roster.
The forward group still leans on the same names. William Nylander led the team on 79 points in 65 games, John Tavares scored 31, and Matthew Knies put up 66. The problem was not scoring. It was that Knies finished at minus 30, Max Domi minus 29 and Tavares minus 28. Auston Matthews managed only 60 games.
Montréal’s summer: keep the band together
Montréal did the opposite. The core that produced 106 points is back almost intact.
Nick Suzuki captained the team to 101 points on 29 goals and 72 assists at plus 37. Cole Caufield scored 51. Lane Hutson put up 78 points from the blue line on 12 goals and 66 assists, at plus 36 and nearly 24 minutes a night. Juraj Slafkovský added 73 and Ivan Demidov 62 in his first full season.
The one significant addition is Chris Kreider, signed to a one-year deal on 12 September after a season in Anaheim. Kirby Dach re-signed for a year. Demidov, meanwhile, committed long term in July on an eight-year extension worth $73 million.
In goal, Jakub Dobes went 29-10-4 with a 2.78 goals-against average and was rewarded with a three-year contract on 2 July. Jacob Fowler is the one to watch behind him. His numbers in 17 games were better than the starter’s: a 2.43 average and a .908 save percentage.
Team news
| Player | Team | Status | Expected back |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kaiden Guhle | Montréal | Out, groin | 23 October |
| Ivan Demidov | Montréal | Day to day, foot | 26 September |
| Max Domi | Toronto | Out, back | 7 November |
| Dakota Joshua | Toronto | Out, abdomen | Doubtful for Tuesday |
| Nick Paul | Toronto | Day to day | Doubtful for Tuesday |
| William Villeneuve | Toronto | Out, knee | 31 October |
Guhle is the bigger absence in principle, since he missed all of training camp after offseason surgery and Montréal may take its time. Demidov took a shot off the foot in Monday’s preseason game but is expected back before puck drop.
Toronto has the longer list. Domi is out until November. Both Joshua and Paul were still uncertain as of Thursday, and in a game this tight the bottom six matters more than usual. Availability across the league is tracked on our NHL injury report.
What happened last season
Montréal took the season series 3-1, and the shape of it is worth noting.
| Date | Result | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| 8 October 2025 | Toronto 5-2 Montréal | Toronto |
| 22 November 2025 | Montréal 5-2 Toronto | Montréal |
| 6 December 2025 | Montréal 2-1 Toronto (SO) | Toronto |
| 10 March 2026 | Montréal 3-1 Toronto | Montréal |
Toronto won the opener comfortably and then lost three in a row, including a shootout at home. Last season’s opener is a thin guide to Tuesday, but it does show the Leafs can win this fixture at home and still lose the year.
Players to watch
Sergei Bobrovsky. A 38-year-old goaltender on a new three-year deal, making his first start for a team that missed the playoffs because of goaltending. Everything about Toronto’s season runs through whether this works.
Lane Hutson. Seventy-eight points from a defenceman, at plus 36, on a club missing its other top-four left shot. He will see a lot of the puck.
Cole Caufield. Fifty-one goals last season at a shooting percentage just under 20. If that rate holds he is in the Rocket Richard conversation again.
What Tuesday means for the season
Maple Leafs vs Canadiens is not just an opener. It is the first read on whether last season’s table was real.
The futures market has already made up its mind. Montréal is +2250 to win the Stanley Cup, the second-shortest Canadian price behind Edmonton. Toronto is +3500. That is a meaningful gap between two teams separated by one standings position in the public imagination and 24 points in reality.
| Club | 2025-26 finish | Points | Stanley Cup odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montréal Canadiens | 6th, qualified | 106 | +2250 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | Missed the playoffs | – | +3500 |
Full outright prices sit on our NHL Stanley Cup odds page, with qualifying prices on NHL playoff odds. Where each club sits against the other 30 is on our NHL power rankings, rebuilt weekly.
Maple Leafs vs Canadiens prediction
Montréal is the better team on last season’s evidence. They won this series 3-1. Toronto’s case rests almost entirely on a goaltender who has not yet played a game for them, which is a lot of weight for one man in one night.
The total is where we would look. Two of the four meetings last season finished at four goals or fewer, and opening nights are often tight. With Betano at 5.5 and the other two at 6.5, the under at the higher line is the more comfortable side of that disagreement.
Our pick: Montréal on the puck line +1.5, and the under at 6.5 where it is available. Odds are approximate at the time of writing.
One caveat on all of it. Every Maple Leafs vs Canadiens number above was priced before either club named a starting goaltender, and in hockey that single confirmation moves a line further than almost anything else, so if Bobrovsky is anything other than the name on the sheet for Toronto on Tuesday evening, the board you see at puck drop will not be the board above. Check it. Then decide.
Puck drop is 7:10pm ET on Tuesday 29 September 2026 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, which is 4:10pm PT. The game is live on Sportsnet.
Toronto was between -128 and -120 and Montreal between -105 and -112 across two Canadian books on 23 September. Prices move, so check before betting.
Montreal won it 3-1. Toronto took the opener 5-2 in October 2025, then lost the next three including a shootout at Scotiabank Arena in December.
Yes. Bobrovsky signed a three-year contract with the Maple Leafs on 1 July 2026, worth $21 million, after leaving Florida. Toronto traded Joseph Woll to Philadelphia in June.
Kaiden Guhle is out with a groin injury following offseason surgery and is not expected back until late October. Ivan Demidov is day to day with a foot injury but should be available.
19+ (18+ in AB, MB and QC). Odds are approximate at the time of writing and change constantly. Prices captured 23 September 2026 and availability varies by province. Please play responsibly. ConnexOntario: 1-866-531-2600 for Ontario residents; see your province’s helpline for resources elsewhere.