It had been too long since the Maple Leafs had won a game against the Montreal Canadiens; thankfully that pathetic streak has ended thanks to none other than Auston Matthews.

Matthews was dialed in from puck drop winning nine face-offs out of thirteen as well as scoring two goals and having another called back that was a high stick. It was close enough that the refs decided to take a second look with the video replay, but his stick was above the crossbar when he touched the puck.

The reason I brought up the face-off wins right away was because Matthews has been deadly in the last three games on the draw. A total of 18 wins and 6 losses, that’s clutch as Auston seems to be in many ways. That’s his second overtime game winning goal of the season and we are only five games into the season. Impressive to say the least!

Matthews already has four even strength goals and just one on the power play. Last season he had a whopping 32 even strength goals, so it’s great to see he and Nylander continuing to dominate without needing the man advantage.

So far so good, Auston is averaging a goal a game and is +7. You didn’t really think he was going to have a sophomore slump did you?

Last year’s Calder winner really is the real deal. This kid is certainly as good as anyone else in the league and he’s carrying the Leafs right now with his output and consistently dominant play.

I’d like to see a bit more out of Mitch Marner and Tyler Bozak, but the season is young and each line is going to go through their ups and downs so as long as one if not two of the lines are firing on all cylinders the Leafs will continue to put up big numbers in terms of goals for. They do however have to tighten up defensively and you can bet they will as the season progresses.

I’m still not so sure about this entire defense the Leafs ice each night, I still feel they are missing a key piece on the blue line and will have to rectify that before taking the next step forward in becoming a true cup contender.

The Maple Leafs may have ended their streak against Montreal, but it was by no means a pretty game. The Leafs looked sloppy and disorganized at times and they are a much better team than they showed against the Habs.

They have a big game Tuesday against the Washington Capitals as they would like to seek some revenge here and give the Capitals a beating after losing to them in the playoffs last season. The Leafs are a more experienced team with even more firepower than they had last year. It will be difficult for the Capitals to slow down the offensive dynamos of Toronto if the top three lines are all playing with confidence.

What the Leafs will have to focus on is excellent back checking and not turning over the puck at their own blue line. They have given up far too many pucks at the wrong times and that’s a big reason as to why they have gotten into penalty trouble or getting scored on.

Obviously there is still work to be done and both Rosen and Borgman are still settling into the NHL. Carrick seems to be back to 100% health which is much needed, he’s much more physical than meets the eye. Hainsey and Rielly have been ok, but there is still a lot of room for improvement when it comes to knowing who has which player when they are scrambling in their own zone. We need that pairing to be dialed in each and every shift if they want to shutdown Ovechkin and the Capitals tomorrow night.

Look for Andersen vs Holtby as the Leafs will play back to back versus the Red Wings on Wednesday night.

Have a great week.

Thanks for reading.

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