Matthews, Laine at center of budding Maple Leafs-Jets rivalry

WINNIPEG -- Patrik Laine is looking beyond the rivalries heading into a much-anticipated game between his Winnipeg Jets and the Toronto Maple Leafs at Bell MTS Place on Wednesday (7 p.m. ET; NBCSN, SN360, SN1, TVAS).

It's the first game of the season between the two Canadian NHL teams that qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season and the fifth head-to-head NHL game between Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews, the No. 1 pick of the 2016 NHL Draft, and Laine, who was selected immediately behind him.
The game will be broadcast nationally in Canada and the United States.
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"I think it's still Winnipeg against Toronto, in my opinion," Laine said after practice Tuesday. "I mean, that's always been the case in the past two years. I think we both agree it's not about us, that it's about our teams.
"Everybody, you guys (the media) and all the fans like that kind of matchup, but we just think, I think, it's Winnipeg against Toronto and that's how we're approaching that game."
The Maple Leafs are 6-3-0 in their first nine games, sparked by a hot start from Matthews, who leads the NHL with 10 goals. The 21-year-old, who has 148 points (84 goals, 64 assists) in 153 games with Toronto, said he's looking forward to what should be a high-energy game in Winnipeg's noisy arena.

"It's always a good atmosphere, the crowd gets into it," he said.
Laine has three goals and two assists in nine games this season; the Jets are 6-2-1. The 20-year-old right wing has 139 points (83 goals, 56 assists) in 164 NHL games.
He knows he will always be linked with Matthews as the first two selections of their draft. Laine understands why there's extra attention on the game Wednesday.
"I think it's kind of the same [hype], especially because both [of us] had pretty good two first years and now playing against each other again," Laine said. "I think it's going to be the same every year. It's always exciting to play against good players and good teams. It's going to be the same thing tomorrow and Saturday."
The Jets and Maple Leafs play again Saturday at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.
Matthews said he and Laine have lost touch a bit since the 2016 Draft.
"We spent a lot of time together during the whole draft process, at the combine and everything like that, but that's it," Matthews said. "But he's a pretty good player and Winnipeg is a solid team, a lot of depth and their power play is pretty lethal. You don't want to give them momentum."
Matthews and Laine have figured prominently in their four head-to-head games to date. Each team has won twice. Matthews has eight points (one goal, seven assists) against the Jets; Laine has six points (five goals, one assist) against the Maple Leafs.
Last season, the Maple Leafs won 7-2 at Winnipeg on Oct. 4, 2017 in the season-opener for each team. Matthews had a goal and two assists; Laine had one assist.
The Jets won 3-1 at Toronto on March 31. Laine was held with a point; Matthews had one assist.
In their rookie season (2016-17), Laine had five goals in two games against the Maple Leafs, including the game-winner for a hat trick in Winnipeg's 5-4 overtime win against Toronto on Oct. 19, 2016. Matthews had three assists when the Maple Leafs won 5-4 in overtime against the Jets on Feb. 21, 2017.
That NBC Sports Network is broadcasting Wednesday Night Hockey from Winnipeg and a game between two Canadian teams is a rarity. But it illustrates the intrigue of the budding Jets-Maple Leafs rivalry and the link between Matthews and Laine.

"I think the fans in the [U.S.] love hockey and this should be a really fast, skilled, very competitive game," Jets coach Paul Maurice said after practice Tuesday. "So it's good for the game. There are some great teams in the [U.S.] for sure, but it's good for them to see some of the teams up north.
"There will be a good buzz in the building tomorrow for sure. There's a real exciting team coming to town, lots of offense and it'll be a great game."
-- NHL.com Staff Writer Mike Zeisberger contributed to this report