The last two seasons for the Maple Leafs started nearly identically disappointing through the month of October at 4-4-2 and 4-4-1, respectively. The tone for those mediocre Octobers was set by an uninspiring performance on opening night against the Habs — one a fairly underwhelming 2-1 win, another a 4-3 regulation loss in which they conceded the losing goal in the last minute.
There will be lots of time for the line combinations and defense pairings to sort themselves out in the days, weeks, and months ahead. The big question for tonight is the one Anthony wrote about this morning in his season-opening notebook:
One thing I’ll be looking out for more this season: Does the team show a sense of occasion?