In Wednesday night’s season opener, the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Montreal Canadiens 6-5 in a shootout. Auston Matthews scored a hat trick, including his 300th, 301st, and 302nd career goals. Mitch Marner scored the winning shootout goal for the victory.
Give the Maple Leafs credit for their resilience. They came from behind twice, overcoming 2-0 and 5-3 deficits. Also, give credit to the coaching staff for walking the finest of lines at the end of regulation. They made an aggressive decision to pull goalie Ilya Samsonov with just under five minutes left, and it worked.
All in all, it made for a nail-biting opener that was filled with action from both sides. It wasn’t the best game the Maple Leafs will play this season by a long shot, but it was a win.
Related: 3 Takeaways From Maple Leafs’ 6-5 Shootout Win Over Canadiens
To read the three-takeaways post about the game, check out my THW colleague Michael DeRosa’s piece linked above. In this post, I’ll add some comments about specific contributions from some of the Maple Leafs.
Item One: Auston Matthews Scores Under Pressure Hat Trick
Last season, Auston Matthews saw a dip in his goal production, from scoring 60 goals to “only” 40, and a drop from 106 points to 85. However, last night’s game showed that his scoring ability is almost second to none. He has one of the best releases in the NHL and is a threat to score from any position in the offensive zone.
Perhaps even more impressive is Matthews’ evolution as a 200-foot player. He’s made big strides defensively and in the faceoff circle. He’s also solidified his status as the star and leader of the team who has the ability to contribute in all aspects of the game. Last night, he put an exclamation mark on his leadership abilities.
He had an almost grim-faced standout performance. His power-play goal in the second period tied the game 2-2. Then, when the chips were down, he scored two crucial goals in the final five minutes of the third period to level the score at 5-5.
Related: 7 Cool Things About Maple Leafs’ Goalie Felix “The Cat” Potvin
If this is what fans are going to see from the 26-year-old center this season, it will be a remarkable campaign for the whole team. He’s well on his way to his fifth 40-goal season in a row.
Item Two: Noah Gregor Passes His First Test
Noah Gregor wasted no time making an impact in his new uniform. He scored the team’s first goal of the regular season. He also fired four shots on goal with two hits while playing on the team’s fourth line. After a game where there were a lot of coaching comments to make at his team when asked if there was anything he did like head coach Sheldon Keefe said:
“I thought our fourth line was outstanding. Kampf, Gregor, and Reaves were great. Reaves, with the way he started the game with two great hits, gets the crowd involved and draws an instigator on a fight… It gives the team every opportunity to score on the power play, and it was consistently good throughout the game.”
Keefe finally added, “That is what I take away from the game. I was really pleased to see that.”
Gregor scored a career-best 10 goals and 23 points in 2021-22, and he could easily top that in 2022-23. Last night’s contribution to the lineup suggests he’ll be a valuable asset as the season unfolds.
Item Three: John Klingberg Makes a First-Game Impact
In his first regular-season game for the Maple Leafs, John Klingberg – a 31-year-old defenseman known for his offensive production – lived up to his reputation. He registered a pair of assists in the shootout win and made a key play to keep the puck in the offensive zone when his team was pressing hard to tie the game late in the third.
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Skating with Jake McCabe on the second pairing, Klingberg assisted on Gregor’s goal and on William Nylander’s power-play goal later in the period. Last season, Klingberg recorded only 33 points (10 goals and 23 assists) in 67 games split between the Anaheim Ducks and the Minnesota Wild. I know it’s only one game, but he looks ready to beat those numbers by a ton this season.
Keefe said this about Klingberg’s first game: “I thought the play of John Klingberg was really good tonight. He played with lots of authority with the puck. He shot the puck when it was his turn to shoot it. He moved it with confidence.”
Keefe admitted that “He (Klingberg) didn’t get a lot of game reps with the power play [in preseason], but I thought he did a good job — especially as we settled in during the second period — on the power play. … He was another real standout for me tonight. It was really good to see despite the fact that he hasn’t played a lot.”
What’s Next for the Maple Leafs?
Despite the win, last night’s game offered the team some things to work on. They had their game faces on at the end and pushed hard for the comeback, but after a Canadiens’ goal was reversed on an offside call, they should have taken over the game. Yet, they didn’t.
Related: Ex-Maple Leafs’ Defenseman Jake Gardiner: Where Is He Now?
The team will get another chance on Saturday, Oct. 14, when the Wild come to town. I wonder whether Joseph Woll will get the start.
