“Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you.’”
asserted
he → take → you
Matthew(s) speaks for itself.
asserted
Matthew(s → speak → itself
And let’s capitalize Cup, drinketh from.
asserted
’s → let → Cup
Bang-on prophecy: That William Nylander, on his first shift of the first game of the year (48 seconds after puck drop), would score Toronto’s first goal against the visiting Montreal Canadiens.
asserted
Nylander → bang → Canadiens
That first one quickened a low-wattage (corporate bespoke) Scotiabank Arena crowd into temperature-rising flush as Nylander woo-hoo’d himself around the net.
asserted
Nylander → quicken → net
For a team that came out looking energized and engaged — welcome transfiguration from a year ago — a lickety-split one-goal lead against their Original Six rivals jolted the passion meter into grandiose fantasies.
asserted
lead → come → fantasies
Even if the Habs ultimately prevailed 3-2, snapping Toronto’s 10-0 win streak for home openers over the previous decade.
asserted
Habs → prevail → decade
This shouldn’t have come as a shocker, given the rumours swirling for months around the strapping first-liner.
asserted
This → come → liner
He certainly skates faster.
asserted
He → skate → ?
“There’s a lot of good players in the NHL,” general manager John (Gunslinger) Chayka said in the a.m. “Very few that can impact winning and can single-handedly dictate outcomes of games.
asserted
that → ’ → games
We believe that Kirill is one of those players.”
asserted
Kirill → believe → players
Which, as the Boys of Summer yield to the Boys of Winter, gives the Leafs a half-dozen top-end forwards to go with an overhauled bottom half-dozen.
asserted
Boys → yield → dozen
Marchenko, 26-year-old Russian sniper, made it to Toronto just in time to step into the lineup for curtains-up on the campaign Tuesday evening at Scotiabank Arena.
asserted
Marchenko → make → Arena
The Gospel according to Jim Hiller, incoming bench boss, does come with several Commandments and they were evident from the opening faceoff: Thou shalt not play a north-south game.
uncertain
Thou → accord → game
Thou shalt not dump and chase.
asserted
Thou → dump → ?
Thou shalt emphasize puck possession.
asserted
Thou → emphasize → possession
Thou shalt skate like the blazes on a roster retooled for speed.
asserted
Thou → skate → speed
And thou shalt be unshackled for creative offence.
asserted
thou → unshackle → offence
In other words, the inverse of the Craig Berube era, which served the Leafs well for one season, then contributed thuddingly to a 2025-26 plunge straight out of the playoffs.
asserted
which → serve → playoffs
Heads rolled, though maybe not the player’s head you most wanted to see on a pike.
asserted
you → roll → pike
Toronto certainly looked different and played different out of the gate.
asserted
Toronto → look → gate
Although by late in the first period, after Montreal had drawn level on a goal by Josh Anderson that resulted from a turnover in the defensive zone by Darren Raddyish, Toronto’s $68-million (U.S.) defenceman, the Leafs were in temporary 2025-26 redux mode: collapsing into their own zone and racking up turnovers, including a glaring giveaway by McKenna.
asserted
Leafs → draw → McKenna
It’s barely a spitball of a sample, of course.
asserted
It → ’ → course
Heartening, however, to see how promptly Chris Tanev came to the aid of cross-checked blueline partner Jake McCabe in the second period.
asserted
Tanev → see → period
Reminding how much the Leafs had missed the backbone of injury-ravaged Tanev last season.
asserted
Leafs → remind → Tanev
“There’s definitely different things that we’re going to try to do from what we did last year,” Tanev had soothsaid earlier in the day.
asserted
Tanev → ’ → day
“But for me it’s pretty simple.
asserted
it → ’ → me
Play my role and do what I’m good at.
asserted
I → play → what
Play good defence, move pucks and get up in the play if the opportunity is there.”
asserted
opportunity → play → play
Teams are invariably a manifestation of their coach, and we’ve hardly had time to get the measure of Hiller.
asserted
we → have → Hiller
But the former assistant to coach Mike Babcock when Babs was cock of the walk was delighted and gratified as he prepared to take his pacing position.
asserted
he → delight → position
“Having been here before, spent that time here, I think makes it even more special for me.”
asserted
it → spend → me
A great chunk of Toronto’s fortunes will swivel on the performance of Bobrovsky, second-oldest goalie in the NHL and Chayka’s most fingers-crossed gambit.
asserted
chunk → swivel → NHL
Neither of Montreal’s first two goals could be laid at his doorstep.
uncertain
Neither → lay → doorstep
Nylander: “I thought we came out pretty good.
asserted
we → think → ?
In the second period we sagged a little bit, gave them more time and space out there, kind of got back in the third.
asserted
we → sag → third
We’ve just got to look at the positive.
asserted
We → get → positive
It’s just the first game of the season.”
asserted
It → ’ → season
The Aporia
