Maple Leafs at Stars
While John Tavares is endearing himself to his new team's fanbase with a strong start to the season, teammate Auston Matthews is beloved in Toronto as well. Named the NHL's First Star of the Week, Matthews aims to extend his scorching start to the new campaign on Tuesday when the Maple Leafs continue their four-game road trip with a visit to the Dallas Stars.
Matthews doubled his point total with his second career four-point performance in Toronto's wild 7-6 overtime win against Chicago on Sunday. "I'm sure it's a game that the coaches don't like, but as players it's definitely pretty fun to play in. Going back and forth like that as a player, it's pretty fun," said Matthews, who is the seventh player in Maple Leafs history to record multi-point efforts in each of his team's first three games of a season. Keeping Toronto's high-powered offense under wraps will be the task of Ben Bishop, who secured NHL Third Star of the Week honors after turning aside 62 of 63 shots with one shutout to begin the season. "When we have our healthy (Bishop) back there, we're a dangerous team," defenseman Marc Methot told reporters of his goaltender, who made 32 saves in a 5-1 triumph over Winnipeg on Saturday.
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, TSN4, FS Southwest (Dallas)
ABOUT THE MAPLE LEAFS (2-1-0): Tavares' ninth career hat trick on Sunday gave him four goals in three games since signing a seven-year, $77 million contract. "(I) want to be as consistent as I can so I prepare myself and expect a lot of myself on a nightly basis, with and without the puck," the 28-year-old Ontario native told reporters. Fellow center Patrick Marleau has set up four goals this season and resides two shy of 600 for his career.
ABOUT THE STARS (2-0-0): The top line of Tyler Seguin, captain Jamie Benn and Alexander Radulov accounted for all five goals versus the Jets, with Seguin collecting two goals and two assists while Benn (two power-play goals, assist) and Radulov (goal, two assists) added three-point performances. Seguin fared well in both of last season's meetings with Toronto, as he recorded his team's lone tally in a 4-1 setback at home on Jan. 25 before collecting a goal and two assists in a 6-5 shootout loss on March 14. Benn has 11 points (four goals, seven assists) in 13 career encounters with the Maple Leafs while Jason Spezza has 58 points (19 goals, 39 assists) against his hometown team.
OVERTIME
1. Dallas D Connor Carrick will see many familiar faces on Tuesday after being traded from Toronto last week.
2. Maple Leafs D Morgan Rielly doubled his season point total on Sunday after notching two assists before scoring the overtime goal.
3. Dallas and Toronto are both 3-for-7 on the power play this season.