Matthews wins the Maple Leafs' belt following the home opener, unsurprisingly

It wasn't the most convincing victory you'll ever see, but the Toronto Maple Leafs got the job done on Wednesday night as they defeated their bitter rivals in a shootout to cap off a 6-5 comeback victory against the Montreal Canadiens.

The Canadiens took a 2-0 lead and at one point in time seemed to have a 3-0 edge before Cole Caufield's goal was taken back. That was the momentum shift the Leafs needed as they scored 3 unanswered goals to take a 1-goal lead into the third period.

However Montreal would score 3 goals of their own and with just under 5 minutes to go, held a 2-goal lead. With Sheldon Keefe pulling Ilya Samsonov for the extra attacker, Auston Matthews wound up scoring 2 goals in 3 minutes 25 seconds to complete the hat-trick and force overtime.

For his heroics, Matthews was given the ceremonial championship belt as player of the game. For him, the accolades are nice but winning is of the utmost importance and remembering that hockey is a team game is apparently his mantra:

It was exactly the start that Matthews, the Maple Leafs, and the fan base were hoping to see from their superstar centre as he entered training camp and the regular season fully healthy for the first time in a couple of seasons.

"I know he had a hatty tonight, but it wasn't even his best opening night," captain John Tavares smiled. "So, it's commonplace for him, but certainly I think he's just excited to lead the way and be great and be driven and get to where we want to get to."

"Every year he's been here, he's improved on stuff over the course of the summer. He's extremely focused. Each year he comes back, and he looks a little better, a little faster.

With him, this year, it's obvious that he spent some time, and he looks like he's ready to go."

Looking to bounce back after last season's performance and to prove his worth after signing the most expensive contract in NHL history, Matthews is off to a fine start and will be looking for more on Saturday night against the Minnesota Wild.

Previously on MapleLeafsDaily

Rasmus Dahlin sends Rangers forward flying through the air with beautiful old school hip-check

Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews voluntarily jump into scrum to have Bertuzzi's back

Fraser Minten's NHL debut flew under the radar for many, but not for Sheldon Keefe

POLL
13 OCTOBRE \| 66 ANSWERS Matthews wins the Maple Leafs' belt following the home opener, unsurprisingly Will Matthews surpass the 100-point plateau this season again?
Absolutely	40	60.6 %
Maybe, but only if he's healthy	19	28.8 %
No, but he'll be close	4	6.1 %
100? He's getting over 110!	3	4.5 %
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