Leafs’ Mike Babcock successful in first coach’s challenge in National Hockey League history

The goal tied the game at 1-1.

“You’ve got to be hungry, which I truly am”, said Galchenyuk. That notion forwarded by the Montreal bench boss must come as music to the ears of long-suffering Leaf fans, who pretty much had resigned themselves to the rebuild, retool, reload, whatever you want to call the Leafs long-term program.

Last Trade Between The Teams: Toronto Acquires Mikhail Grabovski in exchange for Greg Pateryn and a 2010 second round pick.

This is a transition year for the 21-year-old, who has been given the responsibility of being a top-line centre. On Monday, Kadri told the Star: “I love the support that I’ve gotten that I haven’t necessarily felt in previous years”.

“It’s my job to show you with my play”, Corrado said.

In the end, maybe you don’t believe in moral victories. “I think it’s one of my strengths and the last couple of years I didn’t use it as much”. I thought we won a lot of battles.

They manage that, and they should hang in more games than a year ago.

Galchenyuk scored 27 goals in 33 games before he departed to play for the United States in the 2013 IIHF World Junior Championship.

He hit a crossbar earlier in the game, but he roofed a rebound on Jonathan Bernier’s glove side for the game-winner.

The Toronto Blue Jays begin their American League Divisional Series with the Texas Rangers on Thursday, but that didn’t stop them from attending the Maple Leafs’ season opener against the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday night.

TORONTO (AP) – Carey Price and the Canadiens spoiled Mike Babcock’s coaching debut with the Maple Leafs. The Maple Leafs’ odds to win the Stanley Cup this year are -8000, the lowest of any Canadian team. The result was familiar, a 3-1 loss Wednesday night for the home team to the Montreal Canadiens.

Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price makes a save as Toronto Maple… If they’re to make another run to the playoffs, Price will have to be spectacular and the likes of Alex Galchenyuk, now at center, will have to thrive alongside Max Pacioretty.

Following the Detroit Red Wings’ tradition, the Toronto Maple Leafs now have empty stalls for franchise legends Johnny Bower, George Armstrong and Red Kelly in their locker-room at Air Canada Centre.

While scrappy winger Brendan Gallagher quipped that he was surprised he didn’t interfere with the goaltender first, his Habs teammates were satisfied even though the coach’s challenge cost them a goal.

Next up the Montreal Canadiens (1-0) will travel to TD Garden to take on the Boston Bruins (0-0) on Saturday, October 10. The 6-foot-1, 191 pound blueliner was recalled on four occasions last season and collected one goal in 10 games.

Montreal opened the scoring at 3:09 of the first period on a goal by Pacioretty, whose shot bounced off Bernier’s right shoulder before trickling over the line.

“The play happened so quick and you couldn’t see that stick that got me the throat”, Bernier said. I just know that we’re going to work on getting better each and every day. Everybody contributed. (Price) is not a bad goaltender. “The only way they could score on him was to bounce it off two legs”. “We can help him on his puck retrievals and his exits as well, but another young guy trying to make our club better”.