David Kirouac-Imagn Images
Montreal Canadiens Ivan Demidov right wing (93) plays the puck against Toronto Maple Leafs Nick Blankenburg defenseman (3) during overtime at Bell Centre
Beating your biggest rival once in a night is generally enough to make hockey fans happy. The Montreal Canadiens somehow managed to beat the Toronto Maple Leafs twice at essentially the same time on Saturday, winning simultaneous preseason games being played in two different cities.
The NHL’s shortened preseason schedule had Montreal and Toronto split their training-camp rosters into two groups, with one matchup beginning at Bell Centre and the other at Scotiabank Arena at 7 p.m. The Canadiens completed the sweep with a 4-3 overtime win at home and a 4-1 victory in Toronto, creating the rare evening where Leafs fans could watch their team lose, change the channel, and watch their team lose again.
Montreal Basically Swept A Doubleheader From 300 Miles Away
Baseball doubleheaders at least require everyone to use the same stadium.
Montreal pulled this off with two separate rosters, two buildings, and enough distance between them that nobody involved in one game could simply head down the hallway to check on the other.
The Bell Centre matchup featured more of Montreal’s established offensive names. Juraj Slafkovsky and Ivan Demidov put the Canadiens ahead 2-0 before Toronto scored three straight goals and briefly took control.
Lane Hutson tied it in the third period before Cole Caufield ended things with 38 seconds remaining in overtime, finishing a give-and-go with Hutson during a 2-on-0 rush.
While that was happening, the other half of the Canadiens was taking care of business in Toronto.
Phillip Danault scored twice at Scotiabank Arena, Maksymilian Szuber added another and Samuel Poulin finished the 4-1 win with a late goal. Sam Montembeault stopped all 13 shots he faced before Kaapo Kahkonen took over midway through the second period.
The NHL recap confirms Montreal’s four goaltenders combined to make 42 saves across the two games.
Two cities. Four goalies. Eight Canadiens goals. Zero Maple Leafs wins.
Very efficient rivalry management.
The NHL’s New Preseason Format Created The Weirdness
There is actually a reason Saturday looked like somebody accidentally scheduled the same game twice.
The NHL is introducing an expanded 84-game regular season in 2026-27, which comes with a compressed preseason. Montreal’s new exhibition schedule contains only five games across three dates, including two nights built around simultaneous split-squad matchups.
The Canadiens will do essentially the same thing against Ottawa on Sept. 26.
Split-squad games are not new to hockey, but having two longtime rivals simultaneously playing each other in their actual NHL arenas creates an especially strange viewing experience.
Toronto even used its home game to debut No. 1 overall pick Gavin McKenna, who logged more than 23 minutes and put three shots on goal.
Normally, the first professional appearance of the NHL’s newest top pick would have a decent chance of owning the night.
Instead, Montreal was busy winning another version of the same game in another country—well, technically the same country, but hockey rivalry rules make Montreal and Toronto feel farther apart than geography suggests.