Leafs' rookie sensations dominate in home-ice debut
Marner, Zaitsev pick up 1st NHL points in Leafs' victory
Move aside Team North America, the Toronto Maple Leafs are creating a millennial sensation of their own.
Playing on home ice for the first time, rookie Mitch Marner sniped home his first NHL goal moments after fellow rookie Connor Brown scored for his seventh point in nine NHL games dating back to last season.
MITCH MARNER, WELCOME TO THE NHL!! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TMLtalk?src=hash">#TMLtalk</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Leafs?src=hash">#Leafs</a>
—@LeafsNation1967Mitch Marner ... what a celebration ... what a goal for the hometown boy who dreamed of this moment ...
—@markhmastersConnor Brown with a beauty to make it 1-0. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TMLtalk?src=hash">#TMLtalk</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/StandWitness?src=hash">#StandWitness</a> <a href="https://t.co/2BhCsrEs7S">https://t.co/2BhCsrEs7S</a>
—@MapleLeafsMarner's parents were at the Air Canada Centre to watch the game, though only one of them got to see their son's milestone achievement live.
Mitch Marner's mom was in the bathroom when he scored his first NHL goal and my heart is BROKEN
—@_efailsDon't worry, Mitch, I know how you feel. My mom missed my spelling bee 4th round loss when I was in grade 3. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/samesies?src=hash">#samesies</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TMLtalk?src=hash">#TMLtalk</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Marner?src=hash">#Marner</a>
—@xMattingleyxRookie Nikita Zaitsev also quietly picked up his first NHL point, an assist on the Marner goal.
Mitch Marner's first period goal is the first of his NHL career. <br><br>Nikita Zaitsev also picks up his 1st NHL point with an assist. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TMLtalk?src=hash">#TMLtalk</a>
—@LeafsPRThis comes just one game after 2016 first overall draft pick Auston Matthews set an NHL record with four goals in his NHL debut on Wednesday.
And the records kept coming Saturday, as the Leafs became the first team since the NHL expansion to have rookies score the first six goals of the season.
The <a href="https://twitter.com/MapleLeafs">@MapleLeafs</a> are the first team in expansion era (since 1967-68) to have rookies combine for each of their first six goals in a season. <a href="https://t.co/074rckQBRn">pic.twitter.com/074rckQBRn</a>
—@PR_NHLFresh off being named No. 100 on the Leafs' Top 100 players of all-time list, James van Riemsdyk ended the rookie scoring streak by potting Toronto's third goal of the first period.
It was his first goal since changing his jersey number, the only player on the team forced to make a swap after the Leafs retired the numbers of 17 players earlier in the evening in a centennial season ceremony.
James van Riemsdyk, who had worn #21 with the team, changed his number to #25 prior to tonight’s pre-game ceremony to retire the numbers.
—@JSportsnetJust how exciting was the first period?
Well, the Leafs haven't scored three goals in the first frame since last January.
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Leafs?src=hash">#Leafs</a> score 3 first-period goals for the first time since Jan 9, 2015 vs Columbus
—@SNstatsThe Leafs have no less than six players on their roster that qualify as rookies (that's players 25 and under who have not played more than 25 NHL games in any previous seasons) including Marner, Zaitsev, Matthews, Brown, William Nylander and Zach Hyman. Each player has picked up at least one point in the Leafs' first two games of the season.
Toronto finished the evening with a notch in the 'W' column, defeating Boston 4-1.
Chalk one up for the youth movement.
Mitch Marner on Leafs youth: "This could be a group that's together for a long time so I think it's just the beginning of something good."
—@markhmasters