The Toronto Maple Leafs routed the Colorado Avalanche 6-3 on Friday night, while the Boston Bruins blanked the Philadelphia Flyers 5-1.
William Nylander and Easton Cowan scored 46 seconds apart to break the game open for Toronto, which never looked back against the Avalanche.
In Boston, Fraser Minten scored a goal and added two assists to star in the Bruins’ convincing win over Philadelphia.
The Ottawa Senators also needed a shootout to edge the Nashville Predators 3-2, capping a busy night across the league.
With the young season still taking shape, Friday’s results offered an early glimpse of which contenders mean business.
Toronto’s outburst was the night’s headline: six goals against a Colorado team expected to contend in the West. The 46-second double strike deflated the Avalanche and sent the home crowd into delirium.
Minten’s three-point night, meanwhile, announced the young Bruin as a player to watch. Boston’s depth has been a talking point all preseason, and Friday suggested the hype is justified.
Ottawa’s shootout win was the quietest of the three results but perhaps the most hard-earned, with the Senators surviving a late Predators push to bank two points on the road.
The early season is also a proving ground for goaltenders, and Friday’s games were no exception. Toronto’s netminder stood tall during a second-period Avalanche push that could have changed the game’s complexion.
In Boston, the Flyers simply had no answer for the Bruins’ forecheck. Philadelphia’s young roster showed flashes but spent too much of the night chasing the puck.
With the schedule thickening, depth will decide who survives the autumn. Friday suggested the Leafs and Bruins both have it — and the Avalanche have questions to answer.
Next up, Toronto hosts a back-to-back while Boston hits the road, and the standings will start to sort the contenders from the pretenders.
