3 Takeaways After the Toronto Maple Leafs First 3 Games

The first three games have had up’s and down’s but the fact that the Toronto Maple Leafs are 2-1 to start the season is a welcomed sight.

The absence of Auston Matthews has definitely hurt the Toronto Maple Leafs, as John Tavares and Mitch Marner combined for only two points in the team’s first three games.

However, fortunately for everyone, it looks like Matthews will return to the line-up on Monday, if not, later this week.

The beginning of every season is always going to look different than how it ends. I mean, the Buffalo Sabres and Detroit Red Wings have both looked competitive to start the year and already have wins. Those two franchises are bound for the “Fight for Shane Wright,” so it’s shocking to see them perform so well already.

Even Drew Doughty has turned back the clock with six points in two games, as he looks to make Team Canada’s Olympic roster this season.

Although we shouldn’t put a ton of stock in the first three games, they still mean something. Sheldon Keefe looks angrier than ever behind the bench right now, as his team isn’t performing to the standard that we all expect.

You always need to shake off the rust with a new year, so hopefully things get better and the return of Matthews helps gets this offense going. Seven goals in three games is fine but this team should be scoring three goals per night, minimum. (To be fair, Anton Forsberg made quite a few incredible saves in two of those games).

Here are three takeaways from the first three games.