After Sidney Crosby scored two quick goals to open the second period Thursday, Alex Ovechkin mitigated the damage by firing a rocket of his own later in the period.
While a number of the Leafs looked comfortable at the dish, Matthews may have been the most impressive, with the left-handed hitting superstar crushing a ball into the right-field stands.
Leave it to Sidney Crosby to put his mark on a 0-0 game in a hurry.
The Pittsburgh Penguins star scored two quick goals to give his club a 2-0 lead over the Washington Capitals early in the second period of Game 1 Thursday night.
Crosby broke into the Capitals' zone on a 2-on-1 with Jake Guentzel, who fed him for a pinpoint wrister that opened the scoring 12 seconds into the second period.
Crosby tied his own franchise record for fastest goal to start a second period in a playoff game, a feat he previously accomplished in 2008, according to TSN.
Patric Hornqvist then secured a rebound and found the Penguins captain, who potted his second goal in a 52-second span.
The former King of Late Night took in Game 1 Thursday between the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins where he - and his incredible beard - cheered on the hometown Capitals.
While he may be a Capitals fan, it's no question he would clearly fit in more in San Jose.
The award is given out annually to the player "who exemplifies great leadership qualities to his team, on and off the ice, during the regular season."
Foligno is coming off his second-most productive season, tallying 26 goals and 51 points, while helping lead the Blue Jackets to the best finish in franchise history.
Away from the rink he and his wife committed $1 million to be shared between the Nationwide Children's Hospital and Boston Children's Hospital. He also continues to work with Papa John's pizza to raise money for the Janis Foligno Foundation.
Getzlaf led the Ducks in scoring for the fifth-straight season, helping the team capture the Atlantic Division. The 31-year-old continued his work with the Anaheim Ducks Learn to Play Program, with help from teammate Corey Perry.
Getzlaf also hosted the fifth annual CureDuchenne golf tournament in which he and his wife have now raised $1.675 million for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.
Giordano helped the Flames to their second playoff berth in three years. The 35-year-old continued his work with Team Giordano, which helps promote fitness and academics to students in high-need schools.
Henrik Lundqvist was a brick wall during the Rangers' first-round series against the Canadiens and has carried the strong play over to the second round against the Senators.
Sens right winger Mark Stone was alone in front with a yawning cage, but was unable to lift the puck over a diving Lundqvist.
Even at 35, Lundqvist is still one of the best goaltenders on the planet. He's searching for his first Stanley Cup ring and seems more determined than ever.
Some players in the NHL aren't selfish enough. They may be great playmakers, but sometimes they don't utilize their elite shots with enough frequency.
Sidney Crosby, for example, shot the puck more this year than in recent seasons, and it paid dividends, as he scored a league-high 44 goals.
The following players shouldn't necessarily change their total philosophy, but if they were willing to shoot the puck more, it would benefit them and their team.
Ryan Getzlaf, Ducks
Getzlaf averaged just 1.86 shots per game this season despite having an absolute bullet like this tucked away in his arsenal:
Everything about this shot was unreal. The release was quick, the accuracy was on point, and the velocity looked hard.
Getzlaf has just two 20-goal seasons since scoring 25 in 2008-09. That number would likely be much higher if he was willing to shoot at least 200 times a season.
Jason Spezza, Stars
Spezza is cut from the same mold as Getzlaf: big-bodied, right-handed shot, excellent passer, soft hands, and a very underrated shot:
Spezza is willing to shoot more frequently than Getzlaf, but Stars fans would probably love to see this slap shot put on display more often. Even from tough angles, he can he can beat goaltenders with this bomb.
Evgeni Malkin, Penguins
Is it a coincidence the one year Malkin won the Hart Trophy as the league's most valuable player was his only season ever recording 300 shots on goal? He scored a career-high 50 goals that year.
During that magical season in 2011-12, Malkin averaged 4.52 shots per game. Since then, he hasn't averaged more than 3.19 shots per game in a single season.
Malkin is an incredible player, but it wouldn't hurt to utilize this clapper coming down the wing more often.
Nicklas Backstrom, Capitals
It's hard to fault Backstrom for always looking for the pass, considering his linemate, Alex Ovechkin, might just have the best shot of all time.
Backstrom set a career-high with 33 goals and 68 assists back in 2009-10. Unsurprisingly, his 222 shots were also a career high.
If Backstrom were to display this wicked wrister at least 2.5 times per game, it would make him a much more dangerous player, and might even open up more space for Ovechkin to shoot the puck.
The Colorado Avalanche's season was pathetic enough, but their social media staff is only making it worse.
Losing 60 games, finishing dead last with 48 points in the standings, and posting the worst record of the salary-cap era aren't exactly accomplishments worth bragging about, so the team's Twitter account has instead been touting other "achievements."
Rather than focusing on how disappointing Matt Duchene's season was (he posted his worst goal and point totals in a non-lockout campaign since 2011-12) the Avalanche went with something a little more positive.
Both teams have areas of their rosters to address, and oddsmakers have already begun crunching the numbers on the likelihood of certain transactions.
Here are Thursday's odds for how each team will deal with certain pending free agents and possible acquisitions, as well as how they'll fare next season.
Will the Canadiens acquire Ilya Kovalchuk before Game 1 of the 2017-18 NHL season?
Yes +400 (4-1)
No -700 (1-7)
Will the Canadiens re-sign Alexander Radulov?
Yes +110 (11-10)
No -150 (2-3)
Will the Maple Leafs re-sign Brian Boyle?
Yes +250 (5-2)
No -400 (1-4)
Who will have more regular season points in the 2017-18 season?
When Canadian athletes are working south of the 49th parallel, they always seem to find each other.
Toronto Blue Jays catcher Russell Martin, who grew up in Montreal, knew exactly where to look in Busch Stadium after hitting a solo home run off St. Louis Cardinals starter Carlos Martinez on Thursday afternoon. Upon returning to the dugout, Martin found one of his biggest fans - Nashville Predators defenseman P.K. Subban, a Toronto native and noted Blue Jays supporter - sitting nearby. When he heard Subban's cheers, Martin stepped out and gave his hockey-playing friend a personal mid-game curtain call.
Subban was cheering on his favorite baseball team a day after several Blue Jays, including Martin, used Wednesday's rainout to hop over to the Scottrade Center and watch the Preds take a 1-0 series lead on the Blues in their Western Conference semifinal.
