Now this? This, Mike Babcock can work with.

For the first time since he arrived in Toronto, he has a chance. That’s all he wants as a coach. He loves the pressure that comes with being Team Canada’s coach because that means the team he is leading is built to win. He loved the pressure that came with guiding a powerhouse Detroit Red Wings team, because he entered every season with a shot at the Stanley Cup.

For one season, that was missing for Babcock. The game’s best (or second-best, depending on how you feel about Joel Quenneville) coach didn’t have a prayer last season. It was about tanking and finishing low enough to draft Auston Matthews. And good for him -- he even pulled that off.

Wednesday, with Matthews scoring four goals in his NHL debut, was the reward for last season.

But while the hockey world was rightly focused on Matthews' four-goal performance, in all its ridiculousness, Babcock was highlighting something else after the game (a 5-4 overtime loss to the Ottawa Senators). He saw great performances up and down the lineup.

In rattling off the games turned in by Matthews' teammates, Babcock used the word "great" five times. This isn’t a guy who always throws out bouquets after games either; he’s a coach who has a purpose in everything he says.

Matthews had a hat trick before anyone had settled in, and yet Babcock suggested that Mitch Marner was the Leafs' best player in the first half of the game. He called each of the performances by William Nylander, Zach Hyman, Connor Brown, Connor Carrick and Nikita Zaitsev great.

He wants his young players to believe. That’s what that was. He doesn’t want them leaning on Matthews to be the guy. If the Maple Leafs are going to be the Eastern Conference’s surprise team, each one of those players is going to have to contribute, because hockey teams don’t win with one superstar. All you have to do to is look at the team on the other side of the ice last night to understand that. Erik Karlsson is the most dynamic defenseman in the game. It’s not enough for Ottawa.

The conservative conclusion is that the Maple Leafs are still a year away from being a playoff team. That’s usually how it works. Look at Edmonton and Buffalo last season. They added Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel. They improved over the previous season. Neither ever a real threat to make the playoffs.

This Toronto team is different and it’s not just because of one game -- especially considering it was a loss. They’re more of a threat to make the playoffs this season than the Sabres or Oilers ever were last season.

First, the Maple Leafs weren’t as bad as they showed last season. They had to make an effort to get to the bottom of the standings, constantly shuttling in new goalies and players from the AHL. In spite of it all, the Maple Leafs still controlled 51.3 percent of the even-strength shot attempts in their games last season. That was good enough for No. 13 in the league. It was better than the Washington Capitals and Chicago Blackhawks.

In their Jack Eichel tank season, the Sabres were at 37.5 percent. The Oilers, in the season prior to landing Connor McDavid, were 48.1 percent.

Buffalo, especially, had a lot of gap to close to get back to respectability, with Dan Bylsma working that number up to 47.5 percent last season.

It’s not easy to make the playoffs with a team under 50 percent. Last season, only four teams were able to pull it off -- the Panthers, Islanders, Wild and Rangers. Only one of those teams got out of the first round, and perhaps it was because they were playing another one.

The Maple Leafs played the right way last season, but had a severe talent shortage. They finished with a shooting percentage of just 6.36 percent at even strength. That number is going to jump up this season.

On opening night, it was clear now they no longer have a shortage of talent. Marner is going to be special. Matthews already is. All the players Babcock highlighted played well. Yes, they lost, but it had nothing to do with the play on the ice by the forwards and defensemen. They lost because Frederik Andersen couldn’t make a big save.

If Babcock was concerned about that notion, he hid it well when meeting with the media after the game.

“That might be the most comfortable position on our team,” Babcock said of the Maple Leafs' goaltending. “[Andersen] will get himself going. He missed quite a bit of hockey. I don’t have any concerns about him.”

Instead, Babcock pointed out that the scoring chances were not even close. According to the analytics website Natural Stat Trick, the Maple Leafs had a 26-14 edge in scoring chances. They controlled 65.4 percent of the even-strength shot attempts.

If Andersen can make a few more key saves, they get out of there with a win.

History suggests he eventually will. The Maple Leafs are definitely a different team in front of him than the Ducks, but during his career, Andersen has a .925 save percentage at even strength. If the Maple Leafs get that this season from Andersen, they’ll be in every game.

As much as Babcock hid his doubts, goaltending is not a certainty in Toronto because there are real injury and conditioning concerns that cloud Andersen. If he’s healthy, more often than not he’ll play well enough to win, last night’s game notwithstanding.

“He has ability. I like him in the net,” said one longtime goalie coach. “When I watch him play, I’m confident he’s going to play well on most nights.”

Opening night just wasn’t one of them. And still, the Maple Leafs got a point on the road.

Matthews isn’t going to score four goals every game. There are definitely concerns about the defense.

But because of the base that Babcock put into place last season, the amount of young talent arriving all at once and improved goaltending, Toronto will be in the playoff hunt this season if the Maple Leafs can remain healthy.

“Anything could happen. ... It is so close now, you cannot eliminate many teams at the start of the season,” an NHL scout texted Thursday morning when asked about the Maple Leafs' playoff chances. “Feet to the fire, my vote would be no.”

It may be asking too much for them to make it, but now Babcock has something to work with. That’s usually a dangerous thing for opposing teams.

“We can be way, way better than we were tonight,” Babcock said after the overtime loss. “We’re going to get better.”