Matthews is one of four players in NHL history to have multiple hat-tricks in the season opener.

The Maple Leafs finally unveiled their goal song before defeating the Montreal Canadiens in what was an incredible season opener.

It was a game with plenty of storylines coming in, whether it be Fraser Minten's NHL debut or just how a few of the newcomers would look in their first regular season game with Toronto.

But it was Auston Matthews who changed the game for Toronto, scoring a hat-trick on what seems to be his favourite night to play on. The Maple Leafs came back, lost the lead, and then came back again after head coach Sheldon Keefe pulled Ilya Samsonov twice in the final four minutes of the third period.

Here are a few observations from a heck of a home opener between the Maple Leafs and Canadiens.

The fourth line's strength

Toronto's new-look fourth line of Ryan Reaves, David Kampf, and Noah Gregor didn't disappoint.

From when Reaves stepped out onto the ice, pointing to his bicep during player introductions to the time the final whistle went, the Maple Leafs' fourth line played great.

They had numerous offensive zone chances in the first period along with a fight from Reaves. Then, after Toronto's successful coaches challenge in the second period, Gregor got the team their first goal of the season.

And unveiled the Maple Leafs' new goal song in the process.

The new goal song

I didn't necessarily hate Hall and Oates' "You Make My Dreams Come True", but a large number of fans and media called for a change, and change is what we got.

After Gregor's goal, Kid Cudi's Pursuit of Happiness (feat. MGMT and Ratatat) Steve Aoki remix rang throughout Scotiabank Arena. It was a song I wasn't sure about after Toronto's first goal, but I didn't hate it after continuously hearing it.

According to the Toronto Sun's Lance Hornby, there will be a "selection of three or four tunes based on Original Six games, Next Generation, Throwback Thursdays and a regular season standard" this year.

The power play hasn't missed a beat

Toronto's power play picked up right where they left off after being the second-best power play in the NHL last season.

First, it was Auston Matthews finding the back of the net for his 300th NHL goal, making him the fastest Maple Leaf to that milestone. The 26-year-old also becomes the fastest US-born player to reach 300 NHL goals.

He then followed it up with two more goals late in the third period. William Nylander followed Matthews' first goal up with a power play tally of his own. He had an impressive game overall on John Tavares' wing.

Nylander has the ability to change the game with his speed and deceptiveness. The 27-year-old, at times, looks to be skating slow before blowing by a defenceman along the wing. His puck protection tied together with his hockey IQ allows him to be one of the top producers in the NHL.

It's a big year for Nylander, but being without a deal for next season makes this season as big as ever.

The other observations

- Fraser Minten showed positive signs in his NHL debut. He played 11:32 while centring Toronto's third line and had a few chances to score his first goal in the league. 

There were some mistakes, too, but that's going to happen with a rookie who's still 19 years old. 

- Tyler Bertuzzi looks to still be finding his footing with the Maple Leafs. He hasn't exceeded expectations by any means, but you can slowly see him getting the confidence to play as he did in recent years.

The scrum in the third period was the definition of Bertuzzi's game. Get under the opposition's skin.

The only problem was that the Canadiens scored on the power play after this penalty. It's only one game, so there's plenty of time for Bertuzzi to learn after that. But if he can create a ruckus in front of the net as he did without taking a penalty, Toronto is in good hands.

- John Klingberg still needs some time to settle in. He didn't have the best game, but it also wasn't the worst. The 31-year-old, with an injury, couldn't fully get up to speed with Toronto in the pre-season. I'd hold off on any expectations until five or 10 games into the season.

- T.J. Brodie and Timothy Liljegren gave the puck away which resulted in goals for Montreal. After a slow start to the season last year, Toronto wanted to see something different this time around. While it was a busy game, the Maple Leafs will hope to build off it to have a strong start to their season.

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