Forwards Mitchell Marner, 19, and William Nylander, 20, were close behind. Marner (19 goals, 42 assists) and Nylander (22 goals, 39 assists) finished tied for third among rookies with 61 points.
The Maple Leafs had three others ranked 19th or better among rookie scorers: defenseman Nikita Zaitsev (36 points), forward Connor Brown (36) and forward Zach Hyman (28).
"They're putting a lot on themselves to produce and make a difference," Maple Leafs center Brian Boyle said. "They're not being coddled. They're not saying, 'Oh, it's just my first year.' These guys demand the puck."
Your first experience in the Stanley Cup Playoffs can be startling. No matter how much you watched from the stands, no matter how much you watched on TV, no matter how much you heard about it, you don't understand the speed and intensity until you experience it yourself.
"I was like, 'Holy crap, it's different hockey,' " said Red Wings forward Dylan Larkin, who played in the postseason as a 19-year-old rookie last season. "But you'll see the real players will come through, and you'll be able to see who's going to put the team on their back, who's going to shy away. It's a great time to see who's a man and who's a boy, I guess."
Boyle wasn't a rookie when he experienced the playoffs for the first time. He was in his fourth NHL season when he went with the Rangers in 2011. Still, he was so excited, even after it was over.
"I was like, 'Wow, that was the most fun hockey I've ever played. We've got to get back there,' " Boyle said. "It's like, 'We played pretty well.' "
And the Rangers lost to the Washington Capitals in five games.
"The most important thing is how much fun it is and to not get overly emotional early on," Boyle said. "The first round's kind of … It feels like a sprint. It's just a slugfest right away, and you've got to understand you've got to continue to play with principles. Use your emotion to your benefit. Play hard. But don't let it get the best of you. You're playing to win games, and that's ultimately the only thing that matters."
For the Maple Leafs, the good news is that nothing has seemed too big for Matthews yet. He scored four goals in his NHL debut. His personality didn't change during hot and cold streaks, even amid the media attention in Toronto.