Regardless of how one feels about this 4 Nations Face-Off concept, indisputably, that was a big-time goal and moment for Mitch Marner on Wednesday night in overtime at the Bell Centre in Montreal against Sweden.

For starters, it won his team and nation the opening game of this inaugural tournament. On top of that, there’s no question that it gave the 27-year-old pending unrestricted free agent a much-needed confidence boost in a pressure cooker type situation.

Considering some of the winger’s shortcomings in the past – along with plenty of his marquee teammates – when it matters most, that should be looked at as a major league win and development.

Don’t get it twisted, though. This was far from a signature moment in a crucial Stanley Cup Playoff game, but at the very least, there’s no question that Marner can build upon this.

At this juncture in his career, it’s all about confidence and belief. Year in and year out, he’s proven to be an elite point producer in the regular season. Unfortunately, his game hasn’t translated well to the postseason just yet. To a degree, the points have been there, but a lot of them have been viewed as empty calorie ones.

Perhaps the narrative starts to change now?

Truthfully, I wasn’t crazy about Marner’s overall performance against Sweden. For my money, a good chunk of it was spent on the perimeter, a place he’s frequented far too often in the spring time. Of course, it will be difficult to remember that because of how the game ended. At the very least, his heroics in OT showcased a moment where he was able to make a substantial difference on the scoreboard without having his best stuff —per se.

Again, this is a fantastic development.

When Marner was named to the team in early December, I was excited —for a variety of reasons. Most importantly, I like how many winners he’s surrounded with. Canada’s roster is littered with Stanley Cup champions, and at the end of the day, I truly feel that that could help benefit him in the long run.

Any way you slice it, Leafs Nation is hoping that all their players involved in the festivities can use this tournament as a potential launching pad for Toronto’s stretch drive to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Bottom line: Mitch Marner found a way to come up clutch for Canada at an important time.

And that should be applauded.