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.
His performance wasn't lost on any of his teammates either. First with captain, John Tavares:
Then with Morgan Rielly:
With him, this year, it's obvious that he spent some time, and he looks like he's ready to go."
Even goaltender, Ilya Samsonov was blown away by Matthews' performance in the home opener:
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.
| POLL | ||
OCTOBRE 13 | 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 % |
| List of polls | ||
