Auston Matthews fires a shot during second period action on Monday.

In theory, Monday’s game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Pittsburgh Penguins was a clash between two teams at very different stages of their evolution.

The Penguins, a team desperately trying to cling to the glory years of back-to-back Stanley Cup wins of almost a decade ago, are trying to retool on the fly, building a younger roster around veteran greybeards like the 38-year-old Sidney Crosby and 39-year-old Evgeni Malkin.

The Maple Leafs, of course, are the reigning Atlantic Division champions, a team that is in full win-now mode, having pushed Florida to a full seven games on the Panthers’ run to a second straight Stanley Cup last season.

Through the opening two periods Monday, those roles seemed very much r

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