The Toronto Maple Leafs are off and running.
Thanks to Auston Matthews and his masterful overtime-winner on Monday night against the Chicago Blackhawks, the club has jumped out to an early 3-0-0 record - good enough for a share of the league's top record along with the St. Louis Blues.
While the three wins are certainly something to marvel, it's how the Maple Leafs have gone about collecting those wins and some of the underlying numbers that make the team's start to the 2018 campaign so impressive.
Here are five telling stats about the team's red-hot start:
Once in a century offense
It's been well documented, but the Maple Leafs can put the puck in the net.
Through three games the club has torched opposing netminders with a league-high 19 goals, good enough for an average of 6.33 per game. In fact, the Maple Leafs are scoring at their highest rate through the team's first three games of a campaign since the 1917-18 season (also known as 100 years ago) - back when the Maple Leafs were actually called the Arenas.
The NHL record for most goals in a season is held by the 1983-84 Edmonton Oilers who tallied 446 goals in what was then an 80-game season. At the Maple Leafs' current rate they would finish with 519. That number is sure to come down as the season progresses, but that's just how potent these Buds have been so far.
A true team effort
What is so impressive about the team's offensive explosion is that it's largely been by committee.
Of the 20 players Mike Babcock has deployed through three games, Eric Fehr is the only player to not collect a point, while 13 different players have scored at least one goal.
Further to that, at least 14 players have tallied at least two points in three games and 10 are averaging a point per game early on. Try to shut down Matthews and William Nylander and the team will find another way to burn you.
Elite power play
One of the biggest factors in the team's 19 goals early on is that the Maple Leafs continue to ice a lethal power play.
After finishing the 2017 season with the second-best power-play unit, connecting on 23.8 percent of their opportunities, the Maple Leafs are firing at an even higher rate (37.5 percent), good enough to tie the New Jersey Devils for the most productive unit.
In all, the Maple Leafs have gone 6-for-16 with the man advantage.
Owning the faceoff circle
The league's crackdown on the faceoff circle doesn't appear to have hindered the Maple Leafs, in fact it could be aiding them.
Early on only the Boston Bruins have a better faceoff-winning percentage than the Maple Leafs' 58.8 percent rate. That number is a big bump for the Maple Leafs who finished 15th in the category last year with a success rate of 49.9 percent.
Stellar puck possession
The advanced statistics crowd could probably tell you that the numbers back-up the Maple Leafs' early success.
The Maple Leafs currently boast a Corsi-for rating of 55.47 percent - good enough for seventh league-wide - and are scoring 5.79 goals per 60 minutes at 5-on-5, second only to the Blackhawks. Meanwhile, the Maple Leafs outshot those same Blackhawks 35-13 at even strength on Monday night.
The team has the fourth-best shooting percent at 5-on-5 (16.44 percent), but is placed just 22nd in team save percentage (89.83). If the Maple Leafs can tighten things up a little more defensively, it'll be scary to see how good this team can actually be.
(Photos courtesy: Action Images)
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