Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner go head to head for the third time tonight, with the Maple Leafs visiting Vegas to open a road trip.
"We still keep in touch a lot. He's a great person, great teammate and great friend," Matthews said ahead of the game.
He added that he was happy for Marner, as a friend, after last season's playoffs. "It will be nice to see him tonight," he said.
No edge there, no subtext. Just two guys who still pick up the phone for each other.
"I still know quite a few guys over there, and I'm just excited to play back at home," Marner said.
It's like running into an ex at a mutual friend's wedding and realizing you both moved on just fine. Awkward for the guests, not the couple.
The Vegas forward has a goal and an assist so far, carrying a $12,000,000 cap hit.
-
Cameras catch Auston Matthews speaking to Mitch Marner before the faceoff
Asked whether playing Toronto changes anything, No. 93 said, "I don't think so."
"Last year didn't feel like it. The only difference last year was that we played back-to-back games," he added.
He can say it doesn't feel different all he wants. Every shift he takes against Toronto will still get picked apart frame by frame.
Is anyone in a blue and white sweater buying it? Probably not.
Matthews brings 5 points into tonight, one of them a game-winner, on a $13,250,000 cap hit.
He's projected to center Kirill Marchenko and Jack Roslovic on the top line.
Ryan Craig has the last change at home, so the Vegas coach gets to decide how often Marner sees his old buddy.
Vegas comes in at 3-1-0, and Jack Eichel already has 10 points.
Toronto went 2-2-0 through four home games, and Sergei Bobrovsky gets the start in goal tonight.
Jim Hiller would happily take a quiet, boring night from both of them.
Friendship is easy in front of the microphones. Does it survive the first puck battle between them along the wall tonight?
Do you believe Mitch Marner when he says facing the Leafs doesn't feel different?
Also read on Markerzone.com:
This dangerous moment involving Owen Tippett has Flyers fans demanding answers
