September 19: Caufield Decides in Overtime, Notable Debuts and a Stars Win in NHL Preseason

Cole Caufield scored 38 seconds before the end of overtime to give the Montreal Canadiens a 4-3 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Bell Centre. Caufield capitalized on a 2-on-0 situation together with Lane Hutson to beat Samuel Hlavaj. Hutson scored a goal and added two assists, while Juraj Slafkovsky and Ivan Demidov completed the scorers’ list for Montreal. Jakub Dobes guarded the net until midway through the second period, making nine saves on 11 shots before being replaced by Jacob Fowler, who also recorded nine saves. For Toronto, Henrik Rybinski had a goal and an assist, while Colton Sissons scored on his debut; Artur Akhtyamov first made 13 saves on 15 shots, then Hlavaj took over and also recorded 13 saves.

As reported by the NHL, the teams played two separate preseason games: in Toronto, Montreal won 4-1 at Scotiabank Arena with two goals from Phillip Danault. Gavin McKenna, the first overall pick of the 2026 draft, debuted for the Maple Leafs and registered three shots on goal and one block in 23:27 of ice time. Maksymilian Szuber and Samuel Poulin also scored for the Canadiens, while Sam Montembeault stopped all 13 shots he faced; Kaapa Kahkonen replaced him midway through the second period and made 11 saves. For Toronto, Darren Raddysh scored on debut after his move from Tampa Bay and signing a long-term deal with the club, while Sergei Bobrovsky — who signed a three-year contract — made 10 saves on debut; Anthony Stolarz added 15 saves as a substitute.

In another preseason opener, the Dallas Stars beat the St. Louis Blues 2-1. Jack Becker scored the decisive goal late in the second period, at 18:29, after a deflection that sent the puck into the opposing net; Arttu Hyry had scored earlier for the Stars. Remi Poirier kept goal for the first two periods with 11 saves, while Brandon Halverson stopped all 12 shots in the third period. Aleksanteri Kaskimaki scored the only goal for the Blues, while Jordan Binnington made 16 saves on 18 shots before being replaced; Georgii Romanov contributed by stopping all 10 shots as a substitute.

According to the NHL, these games were part of preseason opening night and marked notable debuts for several players, as well as some changes in the teams’ nets that caught fans’ attention.