After defeating the Montreal Canadiens by a 6-5 final score in their season opener, the Toronto Maple Leafs took on the Minnesota Wild on Oct. 14. Just like last game, offence was the main storyline for the Maple Leafs, as they beat the Wild by a 7-4 score. Overall, it was another entertaining win for the Maple Leafs, and let’s go over three main takeaways from the matchup now.
Matthews’ Back-to-Back Hat Tricks
Auston Matthews was the Maple Leafs’ top star in this one. After posting a hat trick against the Canadiens in the season opener, the superstar center did it again versus the Wild. It appears that Matthews is back to his 60-goal form, and that is something that the Maple Leafs are certainly benefitting from early.
Like last game, these goals by Matthews were all excellent. For his first goal, fellow star Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner sent Matthews a feed in front, and the latter fired it home with a perfectly placed snapshot. Interestingly, his second goal was eerily similar to one of his against the Canadiens. While on a four-on-three powerplay, Matthews scored from an immensely sharp angle with a beautifully placed shot. Then, for his final goal of the night, Matthews got a pass from Marner behind the net and put it home with a nice wraparound.
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With his second hat trick in two games, Matthews already has six goals on the season. The season could not have started off any better for the 2016 first-overall pick, and he will now look to build off it moving forward.
Bertuzzi Breaks the Ice
Tyler Bertuzzi was the Maple Leafs’ top free-agent signing of this past offseason, so it is not a secret that expectations are high for the skilled winger. It is understandable, as he has a top-six role with the Maple Leafs and had 10 points in seven playoff games with the Boston Bruins last postseason. Although his first night as a Maple Leaf against the Canadiens was quiet, he broke the ice against the Wild.
Bertuzzi notably potted his first goal as a Maple Leaf against Minnesota. It was a nice goal, too, as the gritty forward received a quick pass from Calle Jarnkrok in front of the net before quickly firing it past Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson. Bertuzzi is certainly well-known for his net-front presence ability and scoring goals near the crease, and we got our first look at that last night.
Overall, this was a nice way for Bertuzzi to get his first as a Maple Leaf. Expect this to be the first of many that we see from him this season.
Several Other Maple Leafs Get On Scoresheet
It is not a secret that there are some lingering questions about the Maple Leafs’ defence and goaltending. As a result, their offence will play a big part in their overall success this season, and for the second game in a row, it stepped up big time. Besides Matthews scoring a hat trick, several other players had at least two points.
William Nylander had himself another excellent game, posting two goals, one assist, and six shots. Besides setting up Bertuzzi’s goal, Jarnkrok also scored his first goal of the season. Marner, Morgan Rielly, and John Tavares all had two-assist nights, while T.J. Brodie, Max Domi, and John Klingberg had one assist.
Seeing 10 Maple Leafs get at least one point in this contest is quite encouraging, and this is something that they will hope to see more of as the year rolls on. If they continue to have high-scoring games, the Maple Leafs should have zero trouble finishing the season at or near the top of the Atlantic Division.
Nevertheless, with this win, the Maple Leafs have started the 2023-24 season with a 2-0-0 record. They will look to carry over this momentum to Oct. 16’s contest against Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks. That, of course, is a must-watch Original Six matchup.
