Morning Skate: This is Auston Matthews' world, and we're just living in it

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Lace ’em up. Time for the Morning Skate.

We are two weeks into the new NHL season and the Toronto Maple Leafs have been beating the living daylights out of most of the teams they've played so far. On Wednesday, the Detroit Red Wings were no exception as Toronto won its fifth game of the season, 6-3.

The beating heart of the Maple Leafs, Auston Matthews, was once again at the center of the action on Wednesday. Matthews notched an assist and his sixth goal of the season for his 10th point in seven games, and it was quite a beauty. Much like he's shown in the past, Matthews' deception on his tally is something otherworldly, and he's turning almost every team he plays against inside-out as they try to cover him.

Look, we get it. Matthews gets a ton of praise from Canadian media. So much so that fans of other Canadian teams are sick and tired of hearing about him. However, it makes sense when you step back and see some of the things mainstream media is writing about Matthews.

Is Matthews talented? Very much so. Is he underrated? Certainly not. Matthews, on any given night the Maple Leafs are playing, is often the talk of the game, whether it be because of a goal or a pass or even a tiny moment that sprang a play. As far as many eyes can see, Matthews is absolutely getting the recognition he deserves.

And he will continue to do so as long as he sustains this ability to make the little things look easy and the big goals so impossible to stop. It's Auston Matthews' world we're living in, and it's time to accept that.

One sentence recaps

• Maple Leafs 6, Red Wings 3: Toronto continues to outscore their opponents, but their defense and goaltending are getting kind of worrisome.
• Blues 5, Blackhawks 2: Eddie O had an emotional comeback, but the Blackhawks offense was silent until the last 10 minutes.
• Kings 5, Canadiens 1: Adrian Kempe had his first career NHL hat trick as Montreal lost their sixth straight game.

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• Is there a center trade market for Pittsburgh?
• Team Russia, unsurprisingly, leads the first 2018 Winter Olympic hockey gold medal odds.
• Malcolm Subban’s start in net for the Golden Knights has gone wildly better than expected.
• Tuukka Rask, uh, might be hurt for the Bruins.
• Adam Henrique is the Devils’ most important player so far.