Game 720
Maple Leafs 4, Canadiens 3
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
Centre Bell, Montréal, Québec

A night that celebrated the opening of the 2013-14 NHL season with one of the League’s oldest rivalries turned somber when that rivalry got a little nasty in the third period.

The Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Montréal Canadiens 4-3 to kick off the season Tuesday night, but the game became somewhat of an afterthought following a serious injury to Canadiens forward George Parros.

Engaged in their second fight of the game at 2:34 of the third period, Parros and Toronto Maple Leafs tough guy Colton Orr were grappling when Orr suddenly lost his balance and fell. Orr had a hold of Parros’ jersey so as he fell he brought Parros down with him, sending him tumbling down and causing him to land on the ice face first.

Parros remained motionless on the ice as Orr called to the Canadiens’ bench to send the training staff.

“You never want to see a guy get hurt like that, it’s a scary situation,” Orr said. “I just hope he’s alright.”

Blood was on the ice as the Canadiens medical staff sat Parros up and tried to get his teammates to take him off the ice before ultimately deciding to bring out a stretcher. Parros was conscious as he left the ice in a stunned Bell Centre with 21,273 fans barely making a sound other than chants of “Parros, Parros!” as he was wheeled to the Montréal dressing room.

Parros was taken to a hospital for further examination, and the Canadiens announced following the game that he had sustained a concussion but was alert and conscious.

Parros played for Maple Leafs coach Randy Carlyle with the Anaheim Ducks, and it was difficult for him to see what happened.

“We know what kind of person George Parros is,” Carlyle said. “He played for me for a number of years, defended his teammates. He’s a great person, a great guy to coach. That’s just unfortunate the situation it happened in.”

The incident put a bit of a damper on what was an entertaining hockey game, with the Maple Leafs getting goals from James van Riemsdyk, Dion Phaneuf, Tyler Bozak and Mason Raymond to win the opener in Montréal for the second season in a row.

A lot of the credit could have gone to goaltender James Reimer, who stopped 34 Montréal shots – including 15 of 17 in a wild first period – to give the Maple Leafs time to get back in the game.

There had been some question as to whether Reimer or Jonathan Bernier would get the start in goal, but Reimer ultimately proved Carlyle right.

“He gave me the chance to get the nod here and I wanted to make the most of it and play my hardest for my teammates,” Reimer said.

“I really liked the line with the young kids, Eller’s line with Galchenyuk and Gallagher,” Canadiens coach Michel Therrien said. “I thought those guys did a good job. They had success tonight because they were skating, they were moving their feet.”

Montréal went 0-for-4 on the power play and allowed Bozak to score shorthanded on a breakaway off an Andrei Markov turnover at 17:19 of the second to give the Maple Leafs a 3-2 lead they would not relinquish.

The Canadiens also showed a tremendous lack of discipline, giving the Maple Leafs seven power play opportunities and giving up a goal to van Riemsdyk on a two-man advantage at 8:01 of the first period that gave Toronto a 1-0 lead.

“Early in the season, special teams usually have a huge impact on the success or failure of your group,” Carlyle said. “Tonight, I thought our special teams were the difference in the game. The shorthanded goal kind of turned everything in our favour and the power play got us going.”

Eller tied it for the Canadiens at 10:08 of the first off a great feed from Raphael Diaz, and Gallagher gave the Canadiens the lead 2-1 at 13:54. But Phaneuf’s goal at 8:36 of the second tied the game, and Bozak’s shorthanded goal gave the Maple Leafs a 3-2 lead heading into the second intermission.

Raymond’s goal at 5:10 of the third, his first in a Maple Leafs uniform, made the score 4-2 just after the fight between Parros and Orr, causing the Bell Centre to grow even more silent. Montréal made an effort at a comeback when Eller got his second of the game off a Jake Gardiner turnover at 17:38, and a final-minute flurry forced Reimer to make a number of big saves to preserve the win.

The Canadiens began the evening with what has now become a tradition of passing a torch from player to player as they are introduced to the crowd, a play on the famous passage written in the Montréal dressing room. It began with a little twist this time as Hall of Fame member Guy Lafleur brought the torch from the Montréal room and handed it to free-agent signee Daniel Brière, who received a loud ovation from fans who booed him for years when he was with the Philadelphia Flyers for choosing to sign with them instead of the Canadiens in 2007.

Story property of NHL.com, photo property of The Montréal Gazette

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BOXSCORE
1st Period
MTL PEN – 06:23 – Eller, tripping
MTL PEN – 07:18 – Plekanec, high sticking double minor
TOR PP2 GOAL – 08:01 – van Riemsdyk (Kessel, Franson)
TOR PEN – 10:03 – Phaneuf, boarding
MTL GOAL – 10:08 – Eller (Diaz, Galchenyuk)
MTL GOAL – 13:54 – Gallagher (Eller, Galchenyuk)
TOR PEN – 14:19 – van Riemsdyk, holding

2nd Period
MTL PEN – 0:46 – team, too many men on the ice
TOR PEN – 04:25 – Orr, fighting major
MTL PEN – 04:25 – Parros, fighting major
TOR GOAL – 08:36 – Phaneuf (Kadri, Kulemin)
MTL PEN – 09:14 – Pacioretty, hooking
MTL PEN – 11:43 – Brière, holding
TOR PEN – 12:58 – Kadri, cross checking
MTL PEN – 12:58 – Markov, unsportsmanlike conduct
TOR PEN – 14:05 – Bolland, holding
TOR PEN – 17:10 – Fraser, interference / unsportsmanlike conduct double minor + fighting major
MTL PEN – 17:10 – Moen, unsportsmanlike conduct + fighting major
TOR SH GOAL – 17:19 – Bozak

3rd Period
TOR PEN – 02:34 – Ashton, fighting major
MTL PEN – 02:34 – Tinordi, fighting major
TOR PEN – 02:34 – Orr, fighting major + game misconduct
MTL PEN – 02:34 – Parros, fighting major + game misconduct
TOR GOAL – 05:10 – Raymond (Bodie)
TOR PEN – 15:38 – Fraser, fighting major
MTL PEN – 15:38 – Prust, roughing + fighting major
MTL GOAL – 17:38 – Eller

GOALTENDERS
TOR – Reimer (W, 34-37)
MTL – Price (L, 34-38)

SHOTS ON GOAL
TOR – 16+13+9 = 38
MTL – 17+10+10 = 37

ROSTERS
TOR – Goaltenders: Jonathan Bernier, James Reimer. Defence: Cody Franson, Mark Fraser, Jake Gardiner, Carl Gunnarsson, Dion Phaneuf (C), Paul Ranger. Forwards: Carter Ashton, Troy Bodie, Dave Bolland, Tyler Bozak, Nazem Kadri, Phil Kessel, Nikolai Kulemin, Joffrey Lupul (A), Jay McClement (A), Colton Orr, Mason Raymond, James van Riemsdyk.
MTL – Goaltenders: Peter Budaj, Carey Price. Defence: Francis Bouillon, Raphael Diaz, Josh Gorges (A), Andrei Markov (A), P.K. Subban, Jarred Tinordi. Forwards: René Bourque, Daniel Brière, David Desharnais, Lars Eller, Alex Galchenyuk, Brendan Gallagher, Brian Gionta (C), Travis Moen, Max Pacioretty, George Parros, Tomas Plekanec, Brandon Prust.

TEAM RECORDS
TOR – 1-0-0 (1.000)
MTL – 0-1-0 (.000)

ATTENDANCE
21,273

THREE STARS
⭐ James Reimer (TOR)
⭐⭐ Lars Eller (MTL)
⭐⭐⭐ Tyler Bozak (TOR)