Nikita Zaitsev, getting in his first game after the World Cup of Hockey, scored the first goal of the game for the Leafs.

He gets style points for doing it at the ACC, against the Habs, and while it wasn’t Carey Price in net, it was still sweet.  It was a sweet goal too.

That was a five-on-five goal, but Zaitsev also saw some time on a power play unit that also featured Auston Matthews and William Nylander.  He was a stalwart on the power play in the KHL, but CSKA used a system that pinned him to an area on the right point.  For the Leafs, he’s having to move around a lot more and cover more lateral territory.

He gained a tonne of confidence after the goal, so expect to see him handling the puck with more authority.  He will be himself in no time.

Connor Brown and Rinat Valiev had the assists on the goal.