Gorges wins it for Montreal in overtime

r TORONTO – An historic puck was in the guts of a bus to Buffalo Thursday night. It's on its way today to the hands of Canadiens defenceman Josh Gorges, even if really should be sawed in half.
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r Gorges scored the first overtime winner of his NHL career Thursday night to give the Canadiens a scrappy 4-3 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2009-10 season opener for both clubs.
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r It was an important win, too, for Canadiens coach Jacques Martin, his first victory behind the Montreal bench coming on his 57th birthday.
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r Two men with equal claim to a six-ounce hunk of vulcanized rubber.
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r "We'll give Josh the puck," Martin said outside a happy Air Canada Centre dressing room. "It's about the players, and I'm very happy with his performance."
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r If you recorded the game, keep the disc. It was the first match played in the Canadiens' 101st season, and it will never appear in any greatest-games collection.
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r But two points in the standings look as good after a messy effort as they do following a superb one.
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r Four Canadiens enjoyed two-point nights: Gorges, who added an assist; Tomas Plekanec and newcomer Mike Cammalleri, both with two assists; and grinding forward Glen Metropolit, with an assist and a third-period power- play goal, of all things, to send it to overtime.
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r The retooled Canadiens are swifter than the Maple Leafs and, on paper, the more dangerous team offensively. Toronto is seen as the more rugged club, the one more likely to lay a bruising on their opponent.
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r Last night, the Canadiens outhit their hosts 37-22; the Maple Leafs outshot their guests 46-27. Go figure.
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r "It's just how the cards fell today," said goaltender Carey Price, who turned in a sometimes brilliant game, in no way at fault on any of the Leafs' three goals, two of them coming on the power play.
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r "We may be smaller, but we have a lot of guys in here who have a lot of heart."
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r Price was delighted for Gorges, his good friend bagging the winner with 12.8 seconds left before the game would have been decided in a shootout.
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r On the fact Gorges scored his first OT winner, Price joked, "It's about time." He rushed the length of the ice to offer his congratulations, but didn't get a word in edgewise.
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r "I haven't gotten to talk to Josh yet," Price said, peeling off his equipment. "He's too cool to talk to me now."
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r Across the room, Gorges was happy to play along:
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r "Too cool?" he repeated. "Well, I think that's been well documented. … It wasn't the prettiest win, but if you can play like that and still find a way to win, it's a positive sign."
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r Martin's faith in Price was amply rewarded in a game that saw the Canadiens stumble out of the gate and struggle to keep up. The coach said he had no questions about Price's ability and again reminded that the netminder is "on a par" with superstars Patrick Roy and Martin Brodeur when they were 22.
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r Predicted fireworks largely failed to fill the sky, even if new Habs forward Travis Moen scrapped gamely with Jay Rosehill and former Canadiens defenceman Mike Komisarek. Moen also scored his first goal in the CH, falling just one assist shy of the so-called Gordie Howe hat-trick – goal, assist and fight.
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r The Leafs debut of Komisarek wasn't precisely what the he wanted, cooling his heels in the penalty box during two Montreal goals. More fun awaits him on Halloween night, when the Leafs pay a return visit to the Bell Centre.
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r This one lumbered along like a quasi-exhibition, two clubs still finding their way after having used the preseason to try out many players. Botched and tentative passes, missed checking assignments, scrambly and aimless play – not pretty.
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r The enthusiasm of Canadiens fans for the return of hockey, and to see their very-new-look team, was entirely understandable. But the end-of-the-world significance attached by many to last night's game made very little sense. Maybe the nuttiness of the Canadiens-Leafs rivalry does that to people.
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r "I don't think you win the Stanley Cup today," Cammalleri said before the game. "The idea is to get better through the year, into the playoffs, make a run then try to win the Cup.
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r "We'd obviously like to get off to a great start. With so many unknowns it will give us a good measuring stick of where our team is at. But it's one game. This is a long season."
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r The hockey will get better. As an ice-breaker, it could have been worse.
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r Martin gets his team back to work in Buffalo today to prepare for tomorrow's game against the Sabres, then sets off for three games out west.
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r "We still have to work on different aspects of our game," the souvenir puckless coach understated.
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r But today, the Canadiens are atop the Eastern Conference. One down, 81 to go.
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