Auston Matthews and Connor McDavid steal a lot of headlines in the NHL and for good reason.
The two 20-year-old stars in the NHL have taken the league by storm and they’ve done it in different ways. While their hype has been similar, Matthews and McDavid play pretty different styles.
They themselves summed up the difference in their games perfectly when discussing what’s so difficult about playing one another. (Via Mark Masters)
Matthews on McDavid: “He changes speeds better than anybody in the game. Just his hockey IQ and the mix of everything he can do at a high pace is what sets him apart.”
McDavid on Matthews: “Whenever you go up against (one of) the game’s best, you want to bring your best … He’s got a great shot. I think one of the best in the league in terms of how fast he can get it off and accuracy.”
Both players showed off those talents last night. Matthews was able to put home a quick finish to open the scoring and McDavid was flying all night. His goal was a deflection, but he drew several penalties with his speed and definitely caught a couple Leafs defenders flat footed.
There are a lot of different ways to be a star in the league, and even different ways to be a dominant scorer in the league. So far, Matthews’ talents have offered more of an ability to finish in the league but McDavid can create more scoring chances in general. The game was a barn burner last night and if the Oilers can get their season back on track, it could be an interesting matchup for years to come.
