Ilya Samsonov saved all 17 shots he faced in his preseason debut, helping the Toronto Maple Leafs defeat the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre in Montreal Friday.
Matthew Knies scored a short-handed goal, and Mikko Kokkonen also scored for the Maple Leafs. Keith Petruzzelli made seven saves on eight shots after replacing Samsonov to start the third period.
Josh Anderson scored, and Cayden Primeau made 24 saves for the Canadiens.
Knies gave Toronto a 1-0 lead at 10:23 of the second period after Fraser Minten won the puck off Montreal defenseman Justin Barron behind the net and fed Knies for a wrist shot. The Maple Leafs forced another turnover in the offensive zone that led to Kokkonen making it 2-0 at 16:34.
Anderson cut it to 2-1 at 14:39 of the third period.
Forward Tanner Pearson had three shots on goal and played 18:16 in his Canadiens debut after being traded from the Vancouver Canucks on Sept. 19. He hadn’t played since Nov. 9, when he injured his hand while blocking a shot, which required multiple surgeries.
The @MapleLeafs roster for tonight’s preseason game in Montréal. pic.twitter.com/yluHnk8BJn
— Leafs PR (@LeafsPR) September 29, 2023
Very Knies pic.twitter.com/DiSVeUWF5J
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) September 30, 2023
In love with the Kokko pic.twitter.com/EKIhz3XN7W
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) September 30, 2023
Final from MTL pic.twitter.com/vVNwhzcOSx
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) September 30, 2023