There can be a tendency to overreact to small samples during the opening week of the regular season, and we’re trying to keep things in perspective, as the Toronto Maple Leafs square off against the Detroit Red Wings. Toronto opened its season with a 5-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens. Detroit dropped its season opener to Montreal, a 5-1 loss, the following night.

Transitive property isn’t a real method of evaluation, so we’re not going to draw too much from the common opponent. There are a few things The Leafs Nation’s staff are keeping eyes on ahead of Saturday’s game, and with the Red Wings coming to town Monday to complete the back-to-back series, here’s what we’re primarily focusing on.

Morgan Rielly was the best player during Wednesday’s victory, by some distance. Rielly was rewarded for his offensive activity with a second-period goal, but he was creating offence from the outset, registering a shot during the opening minute of the contest. Again, we’re not trying to read too much into one game, but Rielly noted that there’s a concerted effort from all of the team’s defencemen to hunt for more offence this year.

Toronto registered the fewest goals by defencemen last year. If Rielly can return back to the height of his offensive powers, it would go a long way for a Maple Leafs team that struggled to generate real secondary scoring last year.

Rielly registered a team-high five shots, .34 individual expected goals, and nine shot attempts against the Canadiens during a night where he registered a goal and a primary assist. It was a glowing example of what Rielly looks like at his best, and we’re looking forward to see if his offensive activity and intentionality continues against the Red Wings on Saturday.

Simon Edvinsson was widely considered one of the best defensive prospects in the NHL. Edvinsson is now in his third NHL season and is poised to take a major leap, while paired with rookie Axel Sandin-Pellikka.

The 22-year-old is a terrific skater and at 6-foot-6, boasts the size and skill set to take over games. Moritz Seider has faced arguably the most difficult workload of any defenceman in the NHL over the past three years and if the Red Wings develop another bonafide star to lessen his workload, it may be the team’s pathway back to playoff contention.

Edvinsson was terrific during Detroit’s opening night loss to Montreal, with the team controlling 83 percent of the expected goals when he was on the ice at 5-on-5, along with a plus-seven shot differential via Natural Stat Trick. Detroit is going to invite teams to enter shootouts based on its playing style, but Edvinsson adds stability, poise, along with real offensive upside. He’s certainly worth keeping an eye on during Saturday and Monday’s games.

Will Easton Cowan make his NHL debut? At the time of this filing, it’s unclear whether Cowan will get a chance to enter the lineup on Saturday, after being scratched for Wednesday’s opener. Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube was noncommittal about Cowan’s status following Friday’s practice and if the team’s top prospect makes his debut, it will be the clear top storyline.

If Cowan doesn’t play, there’s still plenty to watch for. Toronto made several depth adds during the offseason, including Nicolas Roy, Dakota Joshua and Matias Maccelli. Maccelli is on the first line with Matthew Knies and Auston Matthews, and we’re curious to see how the third line featuring Joshua, Max Domi and Nick Robertson will hold up throughout the regular season, a combination of size, speed, physicality and scoring touch that lacks the defensive responsibility typically found from a checking line.

It’s also another chance to see if Berube will stick to the fourth line, with Roy centring Steven Lorentz and Calle Jarnkrok. Jarnkrok scored in Wednesday’s victory and looked great throughout training camp, Lorentz is a fixture on the line, while Roy could be slotted up through the lineup as the No. 3 centre, if called upon.

Will Cowan unseat Jarnkrok or Robertson? And in the event he’s back in the press box for the second consecutive game, Saturday’s game still presents another opportunity to evaluate Toronto’s bottom-six forward corps.