TORONTO — Alexandre Texier scored the winning goal in a shootout as the Montreal Canadiens beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 2-1 on Saturday night.
Cole Caufield, who also scored in the shootout, also scored in regulation for Montreal (15-9-3). Jakub Dobes made 22 saves in regulation and extra time.
Scott Laughton answered for Toronto (13-11-4). Dennis Hildeby stopped 33 shots as the Leafs had their three-game winning streak snapped. The netminder started for Toronto after Joseph Wall joined Anthony Stolarz on injured reserve earlier in the day.
The Canadiens, who beat the Leafs 5-2 at home on Nov. 22 to open Toronto's recent six-game road trip with a bang, took advantage of their second man advantage at 8:25 midway through the period when Caufield fired his 15th goal of the season past Hildeby. The Montreal winger extended his hitting streak to 10 games, the second double-digit mark of his career.
Laughton responded for Toronto with a shorthanded breakaway at 10:28 of the third (his third goal of the season and third in as many games) when he fired past Dobs from the net to create late drama.
Takeaway
Maple Leafs: Head coach Craig Berube said Wall will miss “a week…hopefully” after Carolina's 5-1 win over the Hurricanes on Thursday after two periods with a lower-body injury.
Canadiens: Lane Hutson's 55 assists in 2025 keep him from tying Guy Lapointe (1976) and P.K. Subban (2015), which is the second most in a calendar year among Montreal defensemen. J.C. Tremblay leads the list with 57 assists in 1971.
Key Point
Texier attacked Hildeby in the penalty shootout and used a one-handed deck to score before Dobs stopped John Tavares at the other end to seal the win.
Key Statistics
Toronto blueliner Morgan Rielly played the 900th regular season game of his NHL career. The 31-year-old ranks eighth in franchise history. George Armstrong holds the record for most games played at 1,188.
Next
Canadiens: Host the St. Louis Blues on Sunday.
Maple Leafs: Host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 6, 2025.
