TORONTO — The Canadiens began with Paul Byron, Nate Thompson and Jordan Weal playing up front. The Toronto Maple Leafs countered with Andreas Johnsson, Auston Matthews and William Nylander.



The Canadiens ended with Byron and Weal as their two first shooters in the shootout. The Maple Leafs countered with Matthews, Mitch Marner and John Tavares.



In both cases, it could be argued, it was the Canadiens and Maple Leafs going strength on strength. The Canadiens’ strength is their depth; the Maple Leafs’ strength is their star power. That dichotomy in team-building strategies — or realities — between the two oldest franchises in the NHL couldn’t have been more striking than it was Saturday night.



There is a theory, most notably explored in the book “The Numbers Game” by Chris Anderson and David Sally, that some sports are strong-link games and others are weak-link games. The point of the book, and a subsequent podcast...