<body><div> The Toronto Maple Leafs continue to win hockey games early on in the 2024-25 NHL season — and Auston Matthews is <a href="https://www.nhl.com/news/topic/game-recaps/los-angeles-kings-toronto-maple-leafs-game-recap-october-16" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank"> back to scoring goals </a> . After failing to record a point in each of Toronto’s first three games — two of them victories — No. 34 broke out in a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/kings-vs-maple-leafs-prediction-odds-pick-10-16-2024" rel="nofollow"> 6-2 drubbing of the Los Angeles Kings </a> on Wednesday. He scored his first of the campaign and added two assists in the commanding win. “I think just a good start, solid throughout, [Anthony] Stolarz made some big saves,” Matthews said afterwards, according to NHL.com’s Dave McCarthy. “I thought we defended pretty well and just contributions from all four lines. We were able to roll four lines throughout the game and when you roll them over like that, I think it can make it pretty hard on the opposition.” Matthews’ first of the season <a href="https://x.com/spittinchiclets/status/1846703779149730007" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank"> was a wicked snap shot </a> past David Rittich’s blocker from just inside the left circle at the 8:49 mark of the first period. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> AUSTON MATTHEWS HAS HIS FIRST HAS THE CAPTAIN <a href="https://t.co/OroCmjQgGG" rel="nofollow"> pic.twitter.com/OroCmjQgGG </a> — Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) <a href="https://twitter.com/spittinchiclets/status/1846703779149730007?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" rel="nofollow"> October 17, 2024 </a></blockquote><script async charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script> “You love to see it, he ripped that one,” said Bobby McMann, who scored twice in the contest and has three goals in three games after being healthy scratched.&nbsp; “I think it went in and out before anybody even saw it. All the boys are smiling, you love to see that for him because you know there are a lot more coming.” The Leafs went 2-for-4 on the powerplay, while the Kings were unable to manage any goals of their own on four opportunities with the man advantage. It was Toronto’s first time having success on the PP after going 11 attempts without a goal to start the year. “It’s always good to get that power play going,” Matthews continued, per McCarthy. “Obviously it wasn’t great the first couple games, just trying to find it a little bit, so any time you see the puck go in on the power play a couple times, you can take that momentum and just continue to build off it.” “I thought our special teams were excellent, our goalie was really good,” <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/why-maple-leafs-craig-berube-wants-max-domi-to-over-shoot" rel="nofollow"> head coach Craig Berube echoed </a> . “We had a good first period I thought, got a lead. Second period, they came out and pushed hard early and I thought we regained our poise and our game.” <h2> Leafs off to a great start in 2024-25 </h2><figure class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_3079785"><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=4N6Axw_0wB2L10u00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4N6Axw_0wB2L10u00" width="1200" height="776" ><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" id="caption-attachment-3079785">Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images </figcaption></figure> Even with starting goaltender Joseph Woll on the shelf, the Leafs continue to string together wins. A 1-0 loss to the Montreal Canadiens in their home-opener was mainly due to Samuel Montembeault’s heroics — the goaltender made 48 saves in the shutout. And since then, Toronto hasn’t lost, beating New Jersey, Los Angeles and Pittsburgh over the last week. They’ve managed to score 14 goals in that span, and Stanley Cup champion Stolarz is looking fantastic between the pipes. He made another 32 saves on Wednesday. Now 3-1 and first place in the Atlantic Division, Matthews and the Leafs will look to keep the good times rolling when the New York Rangers visit Scotiabank Arena for Hockey Night in Canada on Saturday. The post <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/maple-leafs-news-auston-matthews-reacts-to-1st-goal-of-season" rel="nofollow"> Maple Leafs’ Auston Matthews reacts to 1st goal of season after crushing Kings </a> appeared first on <a href="https://clutchpoints.com" rel="nofollow"> ClutchPoints </a> . </div></body>

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Maple Leafs’ Auston Matthews reacts to 1st goal of season after crushing Kings

The Toronto Maple Leafs continue to win hockey games early on in the 2024-25 NHL season — and Auston Matthews is back to scoring goals. After failing to record a point in each of Toronto’s first three games — two of them victories — No. 34 broke out in a 6-2 drubbing of the Los […]
The post Maple Leafs’ Auston Matthews reacts to 1st goal of season after crushing Kings appeared first on ClutchPoints.