Maple Leafs battle rival Habs in season opener

ABOVE: The Toronto Maple Leafs begin the season in Montreal. Rob Leth reports. 

TORONTO – The Toronto Maple Leafs hope to build on last year’s success as the team gets set for their season opener in Montreal tonight.

The Buds ended a seven-year drought by making the playoffs in the lockout-shortened 2012-13 campaign.

The Leafs will start the season without newcomer, David Clarkson, who is serving a 10-game suspension for leaving the bench during a pre-season brawl.

Defenceman Paul Ranger and forwards Dave Bolland, Mason Raymond and Carter Ashton, all hope to make their season debut in the blue and white.

Ashton is expected to play on the Leafs’ fourth line with centre Jay McClement and enforcer Colton Orr. Tyler Bozak is set to centre the first line between James van Riemsdyk and Phil Kessel, with Nazem Kadri the second line between Joffrey Lupul and Nikolai Kulemi and David Bolland the third line between Mason Raymond and most likely Bodie.

On defence, Carl Gunnarsson and captain Dion Phaneuf are expected to start together, with the other pairings being Jake Gardiner with Paul Ranger and Mark Fraser with Cody Franson.

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Rookie Morgan Rielly also made the team out of training camp but will most likely see limited playing time as the club’s seventh defenceman.

The 19-year-old can play up to nine NHL games before burning a year off his entry-level contract.

Leafs head coach Randy Carlyle has yet to decide whether James Reimer or new addition Jonathan Bernier will start in goal.

“It’s just like life, you look in the big picture,” Reimer said. “You want to get that first game, but it’s definitely not the end of the world and you have to look at it over the full season.”

Either way, Carlyle expects his team to play with a team identity based on size, physicality and speed against the Montreal Canadiens.

“I’d like to see a team that’s going to be a strong, forechecking hockey club,” he said on Monday. “We’re a skating team, and we have to skate, but we have to do some things that are going to allow us to skate.”

-With files from The Canadian Press