Eyeing bounce backs, Boeser and Matthews shine in opening games
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It's hard to imagine a better start for Vancouver Canucks winger Brock Boeser and Toronto Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews as the two look to bounce back from down seasons.
Boeser, who fell shy of the 20-goal mark last year for just the second time in six seasons, scored four goals in the Canucks' dominant 8-1 win over the Edmonton Oilers Wednesday.
The 26-year-old forward had a natural hat trick in less than 17 minutes to chase Oilers goaltender Jack Campbell from the net in the second period. He would add his fourth goal of the night on Stuart Skinner roughly six minutes into the third period to put Vancouver up 6-1.
Buoyed by the Game 1 performance, Boeser said he's feeling confident as the campaign begins.
"I’d say it’s pretty high,” Boeser said, per NHL.com. “I got to that mindset in the summer where I’ve got to be a better hockey player and really work hard. I came back and it continues every day. I’ve got to have that same mindset tomorrow, the next practice, the morning skate, I’ve got to keep it going.”
The Canucks are looking to build on the late-season surge they made under new head coach Rick Tocchet last season. Vancouver finished the year 20-12-4 under Tocchet after previously going 18-25-3 under Bruce Boudreau.
The team last made the playoffs in 2020 when Travis Green was behind the bench.
“It was great, not just me personally, but the whole team,” Boeser added of the strong start.
Matthews adds to opening night legacy
Boeser joined Matthews in the category of players to score four in the opening game, with the Maple Leafs centre having done so in his first-ever game in 2016.
Matthews settled for a hat trick in Toronto's opener against the Montreal Canadiens Wednesday, leading his team to a comeback 6-5 victory in a shootout.
The 26-year-old tied the game at 2-2 with a power play goal in the second period for his 300th career marker in his 482nd NHL game. It was later in the game, though, that Matthews truly took over.
Toronto trailed 5-3 in the third period and opted to pull goaltender Ilya Samsonov with five minutes still remaining for the extra attacker. Matthews struck quickly from a sharp angle to beat Jake Allen and bring his team back within one.
With Samsonov back on the bench minutes later, Matthews scored his third goal to tie the game with 1:07 remaining in the final frame. Hats littered the ice at Scotiabank Arena and, after the clean-up, the Maple Leafs went on to win in the shootout thanks to a goal by Mitch Marner.
“I mean, that’s what you need from your best people at times, at those times when it’s looking dire and things are slipping away,” Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said of Matthews' performance. “You need that …
“And for Auston to get off to a start like that, that’s good for him. And really good for us.”
The first overall pick in 2016, Matthews became the first player in 10 years to hit the 60-goal mark in 2021-22, but settled for 40 goals last season, with his point total dropping to 85 from 106 despite playing in one more game.
Strong start aside, Matthews is focusing on cleaning up the team's performance after the victory.
“It’s obviously nice to get off to a start like this, and nice to win the game too,” he said. “There’s obviously a lot of things we can clean up, but there were a lot of positives too. Just finding our way, keeping our heads down, just working and finding a way to win the game.”
Other strong starters
Boeser and Matthews are joined in the multi-goal category through one game by six other players across the league.
David Pastrnak, who cracked the elusive 60-goal mark with 61 last season, had two goals in a season-opening win for the Boston Bruins over the Chicago Blackhawks Wednesday.
Calgary Flames winger Andrew Mangiapane scored two goals and added an assist in a 5-3 win over the Winnipeg Jets. The 27-year-old is looking to regain the form that saw him post 35 goals in 2021-22, before falling back to 17 last season.
Off-season addition Alex Newhook scored two goals in his Canadiens debut before seeing it spoiled by Matthews and the Maple Leafs.
Mikko Rantanen picked up where he left off last season, posting two goals and four points for the Colorado Avalanche in their win over the Los Angeles Kings Wednesday. Rantanen had a career-high 55 goals and 105 points last season.
Rantanen is joined atop the league with four points by Boeser and his Vancouver Canucks teammates J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson.
Lastly, the Tampa Bay Lightning got two-goal performances from both Nikita Kucherov and Nick Paul in their season-opening win over the Nashville Predators on Tuesday.