Last year, Auston Matthews scored the first goal of the 2016-17 regular season.
On Wednesday, it was his Toronto Maple Leafs teammate Nazem Kadri opening the new season with its first goal, as he skated by the net and flipped a loose puck over Steve Mason, who is making his official debut for the Winnipeg Jets.
The Kadri goal came soon after the Maple Leafs killed off three consecutive Winnipeg power plays early on, which helped the Jets take a sizable lead in shots on goal. That said, they were unable to beat Frederik Andersen, who was up to the challenge with some key stops.
Toronto opened up a three-goal lead on Winnipeg after the opening period. Talk about a tough start for Mason.