Price in vintage form as Canadiens down Leafs in opener

Carey Price's defense of the Hart and Vezina trophies is off to a solid start.

The Montreal Canadiens goaltender made 36 saves in a 3-1 win over the rival Toronto Maple Leafs, with the home team - James van Riemsdyk, more specifically - only able to beat him with a deflected shot on the man advantage.

Price was at his finest late in the third period, making a series of big saves with the Maple Leafs pressing on another power play.

Overall, Toronto outshot Montreal by a margin of 37-30, with 66 shot attempts compared to 55 from the visitors (according to hockeystats.ca).

Related: Mike Babcock's Maple Leafs showed life in defeat

In Price's mind, that kind of effort bodes well for his opponents and their new head coach, Mike Babcock.

"(Toronto) played hard," Price said after the game, according to Michael Traikos of the National Post. "They're definitely going to be a better team (than last year)."

Max Pacioretty scored twice for Montreal - including the first goal of the 2015-16 season - while Alex Galchenyuk netted the game-winner midway through the final frame.

P.K. Subban recorded three assists in the win to set the early pace for defensemen.