The Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs displayed fireworks in their opening night matchup.
SportsGrid looks at what we learned from each side.
1. Auston Matthews is in Store for a Major Bounce Back Season
With what was expected of Auston Matthews in the 2022 campaign, it’s fair to call his season underwhelming. Often labeled as the best goal scorer in the NHL, Matthews opened the 2023 season with a hat trick against the Montreal Canadiens. The big center looked much more comfortable in the opener, and his release remains one that terrifies opposing goalies.
Matthews’s production may have come a man up in the opener, but there was a lot to build on from this performance. After getting off to a slow start last year, a big performance on opening night against Toronto’s biggest rival, the Habs, is exactly what the doctor ordered. It’s only one game, but don’t be surprised if Matthews is again in the Hart trophy and Rocket Richard trophy discussion in 2023. On opening night, Matthews also added another accolade, becoming the fifth Maple Leaf player to score 300 goals.
2. Slafkovsky-Dach-Newhook can Dominate
The best line on the ice on Wednesday wasn’t the one you’d likely have expected going in. The Montreal Canadiens are one of the NHL’s youngest teams, and their kids were flying on opening night. The Habs acquired Kirby Dach from the Chicago Blackhawks at the 2022 NHL draft, where they also selected big winger Juraj Slafkovsky first overall.
There were growing pains for Slafkovsky in his rookie campaign, but the young Slovakian forward showed up to play in Toronto for the opener and advertised why the Habs coveted him with the first pick. Rounding out the trio was Alex Newhook, making his Canadiens debut after being acquired from the Colorado Avalanche in the offseason. All three players brought unique elements to the table, leading to a pair of goals from Newhook in his Habs debut.
3. Both Teams Showed us Exactly who they are
The Toronto Maple Leafs will need to clean things up in their end, but it’s still fair to call them a legitimate contender to hoist the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1967. Toronto added some much-needed jam to their lineup in the offseason, and that showed up last night. With the high-end talent on their roster, it feels like it’s only a matter of time before this core group makes postseason noise.
On the other end of the spectrum, the Canadiens are in the midst of a rebuild. Acquiring young talent and developing it properly is the name of the game for Montreal. It won’t be a surprise to see the Canadiens struggle at times this season, but they will be entertaining to watch. That’s all you can ask for with a young team looking to grow together in the NHL. The results aren’t always going to be there in the standings, but as long as the youth continues on a positive trajectory, Habs fans will be happy in 2023-24.
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