Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews Dominated in Wild NHL Opening Night

This article originally appeared on VICE Sports Canada.

If you weren't already pumped up for the start of the NHL season, let Auston Matthews and Connor McDavid change your mind. The two young studs went off on Wednesday to make for a wild opening night in the NHL.

In the battle of Ontario, the No. 1 pick from the 2016 draft showed up, and then some. In his NHL debut, Matthews put on a show for Maple Leafs fans to relish for years, becoming the first player in history to score four goals in his first game, and the 19-year-old looked dominant as he danced around some average defenceman (Erik Karlsson) and scored goals like this:

Auston Matthews.
Second goal of his first NHL period.
Goal of the year finalist, probably.
Erik Karlsson is one of these defencemen.
My god. — Jeff Veillette (@JeffVeillette)October 12, 2016

Despite scoring all four of the Leafs' goals, Matthews got his first bitter taste of losing as a Leaf, as the Senators prevailed 5-4 in overtime thanks to a disappointing Leafs debut from Frederik Andersen and an overtime mistake that Matthews admitted, "was definitely my fault."

And the goal was definitely Matthews' fault, although he was a big enough man to admit he messed up, and that was secondary on a night that he put the NHL on notice. But the Leafs provided their future saviour with no offensive or defensive support, and that is a problem only time can fix. Stay patient Leafs fans, Auston Matthews has arrived.

As if McDavid was gonna let Matthews hog all the spotlight on the season opener, though…

The battle of Alberta wasn't the only storyline heading into the season opener between the Flames and Oilers, as it was also the first game in the Oilers' brand new arena, Rogers Place, and it was McDavid's debut as the youngest captain in NHL history. And the game did not disappoint.

In a high-scoring affair reminiscent of the glory days between Edmonton and Calgary, the new-and-improved Oilers ran away with a 7-4 win, much to the delight of a crowded Rogers Place. But the most impressive part of the win was the Oilers' newest captain: Connor McDavid. The 19-year-old looked dominant, using his speed to score two goals, including this beauty on the penalty shot:

McDavid on a penalty shot is kinda not fair. — NHL (@NHL)October 13, 2016

McDavid also added an assist, looking like a beast in a year he'll be hunting for best-player-in-the-league status. The sky is truly the limit for the young phenom.

Six different Oilers scored on Brian Elliott in his weak debut with the Flames, including 2016 fourth overall pick Jesse Puljujarvi, who notched his first career goal in his NHL debut.

Jesse Puljujärvi first NHL goal. Great release. — Brady Trettenero (@BradyTrett)October 13, 2016

Elsewhere around the league…

In a rematch of last year's best playoff series, the Blues took on the Blackhawks in a battle of two Western Conference powerhouses to start off the season. And like last year's playoff series, the Blues downed the Blackhawks, outshooting them 32-19 in a 5-2 win. Elite winger Vladimir Tarasenko led the Blues with two goals and an assist, and Kevin Shattenkirk and Paul Stastny also had three points in the win.

And then in another rematch of one of last year's playoff series between two Western Conference powerhouses, the Sharks defeated the Kings 2-1 to win their seventh straight season opener, the longest active streak in the NHL.

Tyler Toffoli opened the scoring for the Kings just a minute in, but goals by Logan Couture and Brent Burns were enough for a Sharks win.

Things turned really bad for the Kings, though, when goaltender Jonathan Quick went down late in the first period with a lower-body injury. GM Dean Lombardi said Quick could be out for a while.

All in all, the NHL couldn't have asked for a better opening night with two of the league's biggest and brightest young stars putting on utterly dominant performances.

This is gonna be a fun season.