NHL scoring turns back the clock in first week

Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock could see halfway through training camp that Auston Matthews was ready to explode.

“Matty’s on another level,” Babcock said at the time of Toronto’s star centre.

Now the rest of the NHL is getting a first-hand look.

Matthews leads the league with an eye-popping seven goals through four games following consecutive run-andgun road wins for the Leafs — 7-6 in overtime against Chicago on Sunday and Tuesday’s 7-4 victory against Dallas.

“I don’t think it really surprises too many people,” said Toronto winger Mitch Marner, who has also been lights out with two goals and six assists.

Leafs teammate John Tavares sits second in the NHL with six goals heading into Wednesday’s action, while defenceman Morgan Rielly (two goals, eight assists) is tied atop the points table with Matthews at 10.

But Toronto and its NHLhigh 20 goals is far from the only team involved in the early offensive deluge.

The first week of the young season also saw Washington beat Boston 7-0, Pittsburgh down the Capitals 7-6 in overtime, Calgary get past Vancouver 7-4, Carolina top the New York Rangers 8-5 and San Jose thump Philadelphia 8-2.

Eleven other games included at least seven goals, and it should be noted two-time defending Art Ross Trophy winner Connor McDavid and defensively-challenged Edmonton have played just once after starting the schedule in Europe.

There could be a number of factors why, at least early on, many box scores look like they belong in the 1980s rather than 2018.

Players switching teams, new systems, coaches being less likely to match lines in October and further reductions to the size of goalie equipment have all been floated as possible reasons.

And not to take away from the impressive offensive performances, but there have been some equally dreadful showings in the crease — see the final few minutes of TorontoChicago as Exhibit A.

Through the first week of 2018-19, NHL teams have combined to average 6.41 goals in 41 games, compared to the 6.09 through the first week of last season (45 games) for a jump of nearly a third of a goal per outing.

The first week of 2016-17, meanwhile, saw an average of 4.79 goals scored.

Toronto opened last season with a 7-2 victory over Winnipeg before Chicago thumped Pittsburgh 10-1 to kick off a campaign that would end with more scoring — 5.94 goals per game — than any since 2005-06.

The 2016-17 season, meanwhile, averaged 5.53 goals per game.