Blackhawks vs. Maple Leafs Monday NHL odds, props: Auston Matthews can steal spotlight from Connor Bedard's first Toronto visit with historic hat trick

There are five games on the first Monday of the 2023-24 NHL regular season but, Blackhawks at Maple Leafs stands clearly apart. Not only is it the first trip to hockey-mad Toronto for hyped Chicago rookie and British Columbia native Connor Bedard, but Leafs star Auston Matthews would make history if he were to score a third straight hat trick as the former No. 1 overall picks meet for the first time in the NHL. The Maple Leafs are -340 on the SportsLine consensus.

The NHL schedule-makers really made it tough on the Blackhawks in the early going. They have had to visit Pittsburgh, Boston and Montreal already and have to go to Denver after this game before finally playing Bedard's first home regular-season game Saturday vs. Vegas. He already has a goal and two assists and can become the eighth player in NHL history to record a point in each of his first four or more career games at age 18 or younger.

"He shoots it as good as anybody I've seen," Matthews said of Bedard. "He's definitely special in that regard. To see he's able to make plays, he sees the ice very well, great IQ, it's really great. He's a very dangerous player out there."

Bedard already is the 10th No. 1 overall pick to get at least a point in each of his first three games. The record in that respect is eight straight games by Alex Ovechkin. Bedard is +165 for an anytime goal on Monday. He is -140 to score a point. Bedard should have linemate Taylor Hall available. He was injured last Wednesday and missed Saturday's loss in Montreal. 

Toronto's Matthews, the first overall pick in the 2016 NHL Draft, has become the fifth player in NHL history to start a season with back-to-back hat tricks, joining Ovechkin (2017-18), Cy Denneny (1917-18), Joe Malone (1917-18) and Reg Noble (1917-18). Matthews now has nine career hat tricks to tie Noble for fifth on the Maple Leafs all-time list.

It seems hard to believe that no NHL player has ever had three hat tricks in a row at any point in any season, but that's the case. Bettors may have to search for a hat trick prop or create one at their book, but Matthews is +1100 to accomplish the feat at one book.

The Blackhawks are 17-4-4 in their last 25 games against the Maple Leafs. Matthews has seven goals in 12 career games vs. Chicago.

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