On one side was Tavares, a five-time NHL All-Star who turns 28 on Thursday. On the other was Matthews, who won the 2016-17 Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year. Matthews will be 21 on Monday.
Together they are the faces of a franchise attempting to win its first Stanley Cup since 1967.
No one understands what ending that drought would mean to the city more than Tavares, and when he stepped on the ice a buzz flowed through the building.
"Obviously the attention around the team is unbelievable," Tavares said. "Just coming in and seeing all the people waiting to get into the rink and wanting to be part of the scrimmage experience and watch practice, it's [amazing]. To be in that environment and feed off the energy and support for the team is great.
"It's just nice that it's finally real. Let's get comfortable, let's get better, let's get going."
Tavares skated on a line with wings Zach Hyman and Marner. Hyman was on a line with Matthews the past two seasons.
"I've only played one scrimmage with [John] but I guess I'm the resident expert here since I'm the only one who's played with both [Tavares] and Auston," Hyman said before breaking into laughter.
"John is so strong on the puck. His ability to make plays in tight is so noticeable. … Being hard on the puck and having puck skills like that is so hard to do."
Marner said the new linemates were continuously talking to learn each other's tendencies.
"John is a lot of fun to play with," Marner said. "Obviously we're still growing on the chemistry. We have to learn what we all like to do out there and figure out where to go.
"I think we were really good in the neutral zone with each other. And I thought we were good in controlling the puck. I think down low in the offensive zone you could see we don't know what each other likes to do yet. We'll just try to build on that."
Tavares played his first nine NHL seasons for the New York Islanders, scoring 621 points (272 goals, 349 assists) in 669 games. Asked who his most creative wings were in that time, he said PA Parenteau and Josh Bailey.
But when it comes to the most talented teammate he's ever played with, Tavares said Matthews has some unique skill sets that makes him special.
"I think what makes [Matthews] really good is how he strips pucks. The puck really follows him," Tavares said. "His ability to strip pucks and knock them out of the air, he really can surprise guys with that. His timing is amazing. He's really sneaky at that. I think his ability to do that and start the transition will make him good for a long time. And, of course, what he does when he gets around the other team's net."
