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

“When Brendan (Shanahan) first brought this idea to me, it was intriguing”, Lamoriello said. Bozak was invisible, and I mean that in a complete and total sense throughout the game. He has been in the National Hockey League long enough to know that the key is getting the shot off quickly. He looks like a man ready to take the next step and be a top line centre.

Everything’s clearly aligning perfectly for a Stanley Cup five years from now, don’t you know? When you’re as good as he is, he’s going to make those saves. “I think it’s a fun style of hockey to play”. I definitely expect them to have a stronger year this year…. Subban picked up his first assist of the game.

Even though Montreal Canadiens players bristle at the notion that their success is driven by Carey Price, the goaltender provided another reminder of that at the start of a new season.

But the festive atmosphere at the United Center arena in Chicago didn’t last long as the Rangers scored three first period goals, and then held on for a 3-2 win.

There will be fireworks here should Canada’s 250th birthday in 2017 include the Maple Leafs in the playoffs. Nazem Kadri took the shot, Brad Boyes deflected it off of James van Riemsdyk’s skate right past Carey Price, who had a magnificent game. He argued that Montreal’s Tomas Plekanec interfered with Maple Leafs goalie Jonathan Bernier.

As the game went on you could tell something was about to happen, and after a missed chance from new-Leaf, Nick Spaling, Alex Galchenyuk ripped a shot past a screened Bernier to officially take a 2-1 lead.

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.

But Therrien and Subban are also quick to point out that, even though Galchenyuk has nearly 200 regular-season games under his belt, he’s still very much a kid by league standards.

“Much tougher to play against”, said Habs captain Max Pacioretty, who scored the game’s opening goal and picked up his second of the night with an empty netter. Pacioretty was eager to add another goal to his night shooting a one timer at the Toronto net just coming up short. 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.

Rather than pound his chest at his own accomplishments, however – a trait that is not in the team-oriented Pacioretty’s personality – he, like Price and Therrien, was throwing praise at the team down the hallway in the home dressing room. Everybody contributed. (Price) is not a bad goaltender.

After two mid-season meltdowns that led to wholesale organizational changes, the Leafs are like the Drake song “Started From the Bottom”, except they’re there now.

“He would have been the eighth defenceman and we needed him playing (in Utica) so he could keep developing as a player”, Benning said.

The one player that needs to improve the most is Phaneuf after he has received a lot of scrutiny for his play after signing a seven-year extension last season. No one figures they’ll make the 16-team dance next April, but it won’t be because Babcock hasn’t done the work.

“We obviously would’ve liked to maintain a little bit more offensive-zone pressure”, Price said.