Leafs’ Matthews opens the 2018-19 season with an absolute SNIPE

The Montreal Canadiens are in Toronto tonight to open up the 2018-19 NHL season against the Toronto Maple Leafs and it didn’t take long for the Habs to strike on the scoreboard. 

Just 10 minutes into play Habs forward Arturri Lehkonen scored the first official goal of the 2018-19 season, slipping a rebound by Leaf goaltender Frederik Andersen. Check it out:

GAME ON!

Not to be outdone, Leafs sniper Auston Matthews answered back with an absolute BULLET on the PP:

Oh my... Oh my GOODNESS... what an absolute BULLET!

The word all this offseason is that Matthews has been working on his wrist shot and, judging from his very first shot of the 2018-19 season... the hard work has paid off. 

In fact, that goal was so nice... we're gonna need another angle on it. Check it out AGAIN:

General manager Kyle Dubas seems pretty impressed:

His face says it all! What a bullet!

Man, whether you're a Leafs fan or not you HAVE to feel for opposing goalies this season when the Leafs trot out a power play with Matthews, John Tavares, Mitch Marner, William Nylander (if he signs) and Morgan Rielly. What a dynamic group.

In other Leafs news, president Brendan Shanahan came out today and confirmed that the team expects players to take less in order to keep the group together and grow into a championship calibre team. Check out some of these quotes from Shanahan’s interview with Sportsnet earlier today in which he spoke about Nylander and the contentious contract negotiations between the player and the team:

“We want players that want to be Maple Leafs and this might not be for everyone…”

“To embrace the city of Toronto, you have to WANT to be a Toronto Maple Leaf and we are lucky that we have a lot of players that seem to embrace that responsibility.”

“We’re working hard toward William… we want William to be a part of this, but obviously this is something that William has to go through.”

“It’s not for everyone and we’re not for everyone, but we feel that with the players we currently have, while it’s not going to be easy, we have great confidence that they have bought into this program and being a part of the Toronto Maple Leafs.”

Translate: get your act together, kid.

If Nylander doesn’t get the message from Shanahan’s words today… well let’s just say he may be sitting out for awhile.