"During the eventual 5-2 win, there were signs of offensive cohesiveness and it largely seemed to be coming from the blue line. Morgan Rielly was everywhere and ended up leading the Leafs in shots on goal with five, shot attempts with nine, and was even tied for the team-lead in high-danger attempts with two. The veteran defenseman was omnipresent in Scotiabank Arena, but if anyone is the main hub for the team's offense, it should be Matthews."
"In comparison to Rielly, Matthews did have a decent contribution. He ended the game with four shot attempts, which was tied for second, and while his one single shot on goal doesn't look great, he did generate 0.91 expected goals according to Natural Stat Trick. That amount of expected results was second on the team -- only William Nylander's 0.94 ixG was higher."
The Toronto Maple Leafs opened their season with a 5-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens, with offensive cohesiveness appearing to come largely from the blue line. Morgan Rielly led the team in shots, shot attempts, and high-danger attempts, driving play from the back. Auston Matthews recorded four shot attempts and 0.91 expected goals, the second-highest on the team, but his shot volume was far below recent seasonal averages of 7.16 and 8.56 attempts per game. Continued low shot volume from Matthews could limit the team's ability to generate scoring chances and win games.
Read at Editor In Leaf
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