3 biggest takeaways from Monday's preseason action
There were 10 games on Monday's preseason schedule, with several teams nearing final decisions in terms of who'll be on the ice when valuable points in the standings are on the line beginning Oct. 4.
Here are three major takeaways from a busy night around the NHL.
1. Scheifele, Laine could be league's top duoIf the Winnipeg Jets are going to make the playoffs this season, it will be in large part to deploying arguably the NHL's top duo.
That twosome would be Patrik Laine and Mark Scheifele, who combined for three goals and six assists in Winnipeg's 5-2 win over the Calgary Flames. The former led the way with two goals and three assists, while the center scored once and added three helpers.
Related: Laine's one-timer is in mid-season form
As an added bonus, Blake Wheeler jumped up with Laine and Scheifele on the power play, and the captain chipped in three assists on the night. Young Nikolaj Ehlers also made a bid for a top-line spot by adding an even-strength marker of his own.
Scoring won't be a problem here.
2. Devils, Senators trending in opposite directions?Here's something that hasn't been said too often over the years: the New Jersey Devils could be very fun to watch this season.
The rebuilding team's young talent put on a show in an 8-1 win over the Ottawa Senators in Summerside, Prince Edward Island, while a few veteran additions to the squad chipped in as well.
Here's a look at the damage that was done:
| Player | Goals | Assists | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marcus Johansson | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| Pavel Zacha | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Drew Stafford | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| John Quenneville | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Nico Hischier | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Taylor Hall | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Kyle Palmieri | 0 | 2 | 2 |
Meanwhile, the Senators looked out of sorts from the get-go, and notably remain without Erik Karlsson and Derick Brassard, both of whom are out with injuries.
Yes it's only the preseason, and the Senators' lineup was not what it will look like come opening night, but Ottawa can't afford to be caught sleeping when games matter, lest an upstart team like the Devils climb up and steal their playoff spot.
"The exhibition season is winding down and I believe you're going to see our game ramp up," Dion Phaneuf said after the game, per Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen. "We've done a lot of good things in the preseason but we've got some work to do. We definitely can't just show up in this league and we saw that tonight."
3. Auston Matthews picking up where he left offHeading into his second season with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Auston Matthews looks like he easily has at least another 40 goals in him.
Matthews, who turned 20 last week, recorded a hat-trick on Al Montoya and the Montreal Canadiens, kicking things off early by completely fooling everyone.
Making it look easy - it's what @AM34 does. pic.twitter.com/XiJq1fQhYM
- NHL (@NHL) September 26, 2017
Matthews also assisted on a William Nylander power-play goal to give him four points on the night.
Auston Matthews on strong game by his line: "Always a good sign heading into the tail end of pre-season, you kind of want to be peaking"
- Mark Masters (@markhmasters) September 26, 2017
Matthews will likely start the season with Zach Hyman to his left and Nylander to his right on the team's top line, and is a good bet to challenge the 40 goals he scored as a rookie and the 69 points recorded en route to a Calder Trophy win.
Copyright (C) 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.