Toronto Maple Leafs: 3 things to watch for against Canadiens

The Toronto Maple Leafs get back on to the ice against the Montreal Canadiens and it won’t be like your normal exhibition game for a lot of reasons.

To say it has been a long four months without hockey would be an understatement which is why tonight’s exhibition game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens is not like your normal tune-up game.

Most of the time, you expect the players to take their time to get things going and just shake off some of the rust which will likely be the case but the circumstances are certainly different this time around. This isn’t a tune-up game for the regular season, instead, every team (minus the top four in each conference) is preparing for a five-game qualifying series where the margin for error is slim.

This is why the Leafs will pretty much play their entire starting lineup against the Canadiens who won’t be taking this test too lightly considering they are considered an underdog in their series against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Hopefully, they can bring the Leafs the necessary challenge to prepare for the Columbus Blue Jackets.

As we get set for puck drop, here are some things to keep an eye on tonight, some more obvious than others.