from Wayne Scanlan of the Ottawa Citizen,

Brad Marchand had a five-point night for the Boston Bruins.

Auston Matthews popped four goals for the Maple Leafs against Ottawa (perhaps you’ve heard).

Goaltenders Jonathan Quick, Matt Murphy and Carey Price are all either injured or sick.

What do all of the above have in common? They all participated in the recent World Cup of Hockey, a tournament that figures to have an impact on NHL clubs all season long.

The immediate impression: players from the WCH2016 are either wrecking the stats sheets or getting wrecked themselves....

Marchand, who blossomed as a Team Canada winger alongside Sidney Crosby and Patrice Bergeron, was a one-man wrecking crew in Boston’s 6-3 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets. Marchand scored twice and added three assists.

Matthews, of course, was a big part of the North American ‘Young Guns’ Team phenomenon, along with Connor McDavid. Matthews became the first player in NHL history to debut with four goals while McDavid had two goals and an assist in the Edmonton Oilers’ opening-night win over Calgary.

Likewise, forward David Pastrnak, who played for the Czech Republic in the World Cup, had a four-point night for Boston. Even Team Europe’s Thomas Vanek, the newest Detroit Red Wing forward, used some World Cup momentum to score a couple of goals in his debut with the Red Wings.

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