The path to 82-0-0 and other overreactions from one Maple Leafs game: Leaflets

Wednesday’s opener felt like a bit of a tease. Hockey is back and then immediately followed by a couple of nights off. Saturday night, Hockey Night in Canada, marks the return and with it the chance to see if this is a team of destiny that is going to be first club ever to go 82 and 0 or the cold dose of reality kicks in. Since the Leafs play the Red Wings it would be nice to pretend that 82-0-0 is possible at least for one more night (or potentially even through the next couple of games as well.)

Forced preamble aside, here are some stray thoughts on the Maple Leafs one game into the season.

The right people answered

If the post Mitch Marner era is going to go off without a hitch there are three players that needed to step up and answer the call.

William Nylander’s three point night is a good sign that he’s ready to show that despite steadily improving throughout his career, he’s not ready to stop just yet. And while two of those points might have come on empty nets, a less cynical way of looking at it would be to say that it was his shot that was deflected for the Leafs first goal of the season and that his clearing of the zone when the Canadiens had the extra attacker allowed for Auston Matthews to get the insurance marker and equally important not have the burden of going goalless into the second game of the season.

You can point to Matias Maccelli, who picked up an assist on the game winning goal, as another success story. It was his claiming of the puck and setting up Matthew Knies for a breakaway that led to the puck finding its way to Morgan Rielly for the Leafs’ third goal. Maccelli is on that line to be a playmaker and that certainly was a play he made.

And of course, Rielly himself. A two point night that rubber stamped that Rielly is ready to produce this year and without Marner to play a key role on defensive zone breakouts to create offensive situations, the Leafs will need