Auston Matthews, an absolute force on the forecheck the past few games, created a turnover on first shift, leading to an early Leafs cycle and scoring chance for Zach Hyman. This is the kind of tone-setting shift the Leafs have been getting from Matthews often lately:
Matthews' forecheck creates sustained offensive zone time. #LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/F35y3mIGzP
— Maple Leafs Hotstove (@LeafsNews) March 1, 2020
The Leafs were then able to open the scoring via an unlikely source in Frederik Gauthier, who beat a shaky Thatcher Demko from the slot for his seventh of the season.