3 reasons why Matthews vs. McDavid Round 1 is must-see hockey
Auston Matthews versus Connor McDavid. It's time.
Tuesday night marks the first meeting of the phenoms, and all eyes will be on Toronto on a busy night in the NHL as the Maple Leafs host the Edmonton Oilers.
Matthews and McDavid are both 19, the last two first overall picks, and tasked with bringing once-great franchises out of the darkness. It's the first of what will be many head-to-head matchups, the first in a potential cross-country rivalry, and who knows, maybe we'll look back on this one when Toronto and Edmonton face each other in the 2019 Stanley Cup Final.
Here are three reasons why Matthews-McDavid Round 1 is far more than another Tuesday night game in November.
Homecoming
McDavid, born just north of Toronto in Richmond Hill and who grew up in the region, missed the Oilers' only visit to the Air Canada Centre last season due to injury. There's no doubt this one's circled on No. 97's calendar.
The league's co-leading scorer with 12 points, McDavid's averaging five points a game against Toronto in his career. Sure, that's misleading, but in the one game McDavid did play against the Leafs last season, in Edmonton, he put on a show, scoring twice and adding three assists.
It's going to be fun to watch what he does at home, with family and friends in the stands.
1 and 2
If it wasn't for an arbitrary end date, Matthews would have been in the NHL last season, competing for the Calder Trophy along with McDavid and Artemi Panarin.
Here's the deal: All players who are 18 years old on or before Sept. 15 and not older than 20 on Dec. 31 of a draft year are eligible to enter the draft. Matthews is born on Sept. 17 - he missed the cut-off date by two days and spent what should have been his rookie season dominating dudes in Switzerland.
In fact, had Matthews been draft eligible in 2015, he would have likely been picked second overall by the Buffalo Sabres - who drafted Jack Eichel - and had his legacy forever tied with McDavid, selected before him.
Ask yourself: How fortunate are the Maple Leafs? Timing has never been the franchise's strong suit, but Toronto finally bottomed out, won the draft lottery, and landed California-born and Arizona-raised Auston, the No. 1 center the club's been looking for since Mats Sundin left town.
Matthews is already a veteran when it comes to the media, never veering far from the script, but you have to believe he wants to show McDavid - and the hockey world - that he's just as good at the same age.
The Maple Leafs and Oilers won't play each other often in the coming years, but each game between Edmonton and Toronto will be about McDavid and Matthews, the faces of each franchise, each's top center, and each's most talented and best player.
McDavid's got the "C" on his sweater. The longer Toronto goes without a captain, the louder the noise will be over Matthews' candidacy. The parallels are many. This is already a rivalry.
An Oilers game that matters
The Rebuild Bowl is no more. This one matters - for the Oilers, at least. It's the start of a five-game road trip and, in general, a road-heavy schedule. Edmonton will play eight of its next 10 games away from home, and 10 of 15 in hostile environments in November. This is a crucial month - there's no other way to put it.
Playoff spots aren't won in October, but they can certainly be lost during the first 20 games, which makes Edmonton's 7-2-0 start all the more important. Here are the facts: The Oilers are in first place, scoring at will (29 goals in nine games), and playing stingy defense.
Edmonton's allowed a Western Conference-fewest 19 goals, thanks mostly to the stellar early season play of Cam Talbot, who's started all nine games and has a .936 save percentage.
For so many years, goaltending was the Oilers' demise. This time around, they've got the stud up front and a rock in goal. And they don't miss Taylor Hall, but thanks for asking.
Edmonton's top scorers are its best players: McDavid, Talbot, Milan Lucic (seven points), Jordan Eberle, and Leon Draisaitl (six points each). It's early, but so far so good.
The Maple Leafs, meanwhile, haven't gotten the goaltending they need for them to even be a bubble playoff contender, but the rookies are leading the way, with Matthews and William Nylander proving to be a most dynamic duo. Much like last season, the club's competing, it's in games, and is a positive possession team.
The results haven't yet translated to the wins column, and there is still much pain - to quote Mike Babcock - to come. But Toronto can look across the ice Tuesday night and see that there may in fact be light at the end of the tunnel. The Oilers, as difficult as it may be to believe, are finally proof.