Caufield lifts the Canadiens past the Maple Leafs while honoring Gaudreau

MONTREAL — Cole Caufield fell to his knees, clenched his fist, then looked up at the sky and mouthed a few words.

It was as if he was saying to his dear friend, the late Johnny Gaudreau, “This is for you.”

The 23-year-old did not reveal what he said afterwards. He let his actions speak for themselves.

The Montreal Canadiens forward had just scored the only goal of the night in a 1-0 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs at the always loud Bell Center on Wednesday in both teams' season opener.

Now here he was, the building going crazy after he scored a power play goal at 7:48 of the first period. To make the moment even more significant, it was the first game of the regular season in which he wore Gaudreau's familiar number 13.

“It feels good to get a win on the PP, 5-on-5, whatever,” he said afterwards. “I’m pretty motivated to get the win.”

On a night where Canadiens goalie Sam Montembeault stopped 48 Toronto shots, handing the Maple Leafs their first shutout loss since Nov. 20, 2021, it was Caufield who made the difference on the scoreboard. Given that both teams wore stickers on their helmets honoring the memory of Gaudreau and his brother Matthew, how fitting.

Johnny and Matthew died on August 29th when they were struck at home in Salem County, New Jersey by a suspected drunk driver who has been charged. Johnny, who played 11 seasons in the NHL with the Columbus Blue Jackets and Calgary Flames, was 31. Matthew, who played five seasons professionally in the American Hockey League, ECHL and Sweden, was 29.

Less than a week after her Sept. 9 funeral, Caufield posted on social media that he would be changing his number from No. 22 to No. 13 as a tribute to Gaudreau.

“Getting to play with your hero is something most people only dream of,” Caufield wrote on Instagram. “I was lucky enough to be Johnny's teammate last summer (at the 2024 IIHF World Championship) and it didn't take long for me to realize what a great person he was. He was the friendliest, most genuine, and funniest guy I've ever met.

“He was someone everyone was attracted to and I took every opportunity to be around him. Not only was he a great hockey player and teammate, but he was also down to earth and truly cared about every person he met.”

In the end, Caufield wore No. 13 on his back, on his helmet and in his heart. So it was the perfect end to a special evening.

For Craig Berube, not so much.

Before the puck dropped on his regular-season debut as Maple Leafs coach, Berube had to deal with the fact that No. 1 goaltender Joseph Woll would not be available after the 26-year-old felt tightness in his lower body during practice Tuesday . The illness resulted in Anthony Stolarz starting against the Canadiens, while goaltender Dennis Hildeby was urgently recalled from Toronto of the American Hockey League.

Woll's injury history is a troubling trend, not to mention a familiar one.

The 26-year-old signed a three-year, $10.98 million contract (average annual value of $3.66 million) with Toronto on July 1, starting next season. During the 2023-24 season, when he was sidelined for more than two months with a severe ankle sprain, he posted a 12-11-1 record with a 2.94 goals against average and a .907 save percentage. He also missed Game 7 of the Eastern Conference first round against the Boston Bruins due to an undisclosed injury.

Stolarz signed a two-year, $5 million ($2.5 million AAV) contract with Toronto on July 3. The 30-year-old was 16-7-2 with a league-leading 2.03 GAA and a .925 save percentage (minimum 25 games). for the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers last season.

It's only one game, but he certainly gave a hint that those impressive numbers were no coincidence, even though he came up short in an epic goaltending battle. In fact, Montembeault and the Canadiens ended Toronto's 252-game streak (including playoffs) in which he scored at least one goal, the third-longest such streak in NHL history.

“It was definitely exciting,” Stolarz said. “As a goalkeeper you appreciate that. Hats off to “Monty”. He played a great game and made some big saves.

“As a goalkeeper, you look at the other side and watch him make those saves. And you kind of have to push yourself and do your best to keep up with him because he was elite tonight.”

In addition to being concerned about the five minor penalties the Maple Leafs incurred, Berube said there were some positives to come from the loss.

“A lot of good things, a lot of shots,” he said. “But I thought the execution wasn’t right, whether it was a shot or a little bit of passing, it wasn’t clean enough.”

Things won't get any easier for the Maple Leafs, who face the New Jersey Devils in Newark on Thursday, with coach Sheldon Keefe, who was fired by Toronto in the offseason, sitting on the opposing bench.

“We just have to be ready for their push early,” Toronto forward Mitch Marner said, adding that facing Keefe wasn’t really on his mind.

“It’s just another game,” he said.

It was anything but that for Cole Caufield on Wednesday.