Almost as if it was scripted, Montreal Canadiens forward Jonathan Drouin scored the first Habs goal of the season last night against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Shortly after his goal, praise poured in for the lad who took voluntary time off last season for mental health reasons. No matter their allegiances, pretty much everyone was happy for Drouin.

Drouin made no mistake on the play, picking up a crisp pass from a surging Josh Anderson and cooly snapping it in the back of the net.

The emotions were obvious and it seemed as if Drouin finally shrugged the weight of expectation off his shoulders and was enjoying playing hockey again.

"It was a nice relief to get a goal [...] for me it was nice to get one, but I wish we got the two points instead," Drouin said in the post-game interview.

"My head's clearer, I'm more in the game, I'm more focused [...] going to the rink was a completely different experience for me than the past couple of years," he continued.

Drouin's agent, Allan Walsh, said that he "shed a tear" after watching his client score the opening goal in the opening game of the season.

There's no rest for the wicked as Drouin and the Habs are back in action on Thursday night against the Buffalo Sabres at 7 p.m. EST.