TORONTO — Expectations often have a way of distorting reality and the idea that Toronto Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews was having a sub-standard year, relative to the stratospheric standard he’s set for himself, seemed downright foolish.
If you needed a reminder, Matthews showed why he’s the most explosive goal-scorer in the NHL, depositing a brace in rapid succession and you had to feel bad for those stuck in the beer line coming out of the first intermission. The Winnipeg Jets largely controlled the first period and were it not for Toronto’s Ilya Samsonov submitting his best performance of the early calendar year, this very well could’ve been a different result.