Canadiens beat Maple Leafs 4-2 as Newhook scores twice and Fowler makes 26 saves

The Montreal Canadiens beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 in Toronto on Saturday night. Alex Newhook scored twice in the first period and goaltender Jacob Fowler made 26 saves, lifting Montreal to 11-3-3 and a seventh win in eight games. (Photo: file photo, the Canadiens visiting the Maple Leafs in 2021. Photo: SBNation/Vox.)

Two first-period goals set the tone

Newhook opened the scoring at 5:56 of the first, his pass in front deflecting in off Toronto goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky after a giveaway by Maple Leafs rookie Gavin McKenna, the No. 1 pick in the 2026 draft. Newhook made it 2-0 at 13:06, tipping home a Kaiden Guhle point shot. Chris Kreider stretched the lead to 3-0 at 12:57 of the second, intercepting a McKenna pass at Montreal's blue line and beating Bobrovsky on a breakaway; McKenna was benched for the rest of the period.

Leafs rally falls short in the third

Toronto pushed back in the third: William Nylander scored on a power play at 6:19, and McKenna popped a loose puck home 55 seconds later to make it 3-2. But Zachary Bolduc answered on a man advantage at 12:15 to restore Montreal's two-goal cushion. Toronto got a late chance when Montreal's Juraj Slafkovsky took a double-minor for high-sticking with 3:33 left, but Fowler and the Canadiens' penalty killers held the fort.

Tavares returns; Rielly leaves injured

For Toronto, John Tavares returned to the lineup after missing nine games with a lower-body injury, while defenceman Morgan Rielly left after the first period with a lower-body injury and did not return. Bobrovsky has allowed three goals or more in 10 of his 11 starts this season. The Canadiens host the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday; the Maple Leafs host the New Jersey Devils on Sunday.

(Sources: The Canadian Press/TSN, November 7, 2026.)