The Toronto Maple Leafs opened their 2023-2024 regular season Wednesday night with an exciting 6-5 shootout victory over their arch-rival Montreal Canadiens visitors. Although it was only a tiny sliver of what’s to come between now and April, it’s never too soon to confidently declare what this game told us we can expect looking forward.
First of all, Toronto Maple Leafs sniper extraordinaire Auston Matthews netted a hat-trick, proving that he is back to his old Rocket Richard ways, and will once again lead the NHL in goals. Will Matthews hit sixty goals again?