Demidov is incredibly skilled, and everyone knows that. But he showed something against the Blackhawks that might have been less apparent.

Welcome back to another NHL Predictions. Each day, our writers here at Last Word on Hockey look at the games and give in-depth analysis. Our team breaks down the key matchups, storylines, and stats, then makes predictions based on how they might play out.

It was a good start to the season for the Montreal Canadiens, taking on their divisional rival, the Toronto Maple Leafs, at least until the last few minutes of the game. Martin St-Louis repeatedly stated during the preseason that he wanted his team to be ready from the start this season.

The Montreal Canadiens had a disappointing start to their season, losing their first game of the 2025-26 NHL season to the Toronto Maple Leafs, 5-2, at Scotiabank Arena on Wednesday night.

BOTTOM LINE: The Toronto Maple Leafs host the Montreal Canadiens in the season opener. Toronto had a 52-26-4 record overall and went 24-12-3 in Atlantic Division play last season. The Maple Leafs committed 285 total penalties last season, averaging 3.5 per game and serving 7.9 penalty minutes per game.

The Detroit Red Wings were a mediocre defensive team last season, ranking 21st in goals against per game (3.16) and 15th in shots against per game (28.5). I don’t expect much defensive improvement this early in the season, so Caufield should have room to roam.

After Maple Leafs forward Matthew Knies was stopped by Sam Montembeault on a breakaway, he got to his own rebound near the left post and maneuvered around Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson, who had lost his stick, before finding Rielly in the slot. The defenseman shot high glove to put Toronto up 3-2.

Montreal Canadiens rookie Oliver Kapanen scored his first career goal in a big spot against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Montreal Canadiens pulled out an exciting 3-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday night at the United Center.