TORONTO — Easton Cowan stood on the blue line just ahead of puck drop.

Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews had just been introduced in the starting lineup.

Cowan’s name was announced next — to raucous applause — as a pair of Scotiabank Arena spotlights trained on Toronto’s prized prospect.

The rookie winger didn’t look out of place in his NHL debut.

Cowan played just over 14 minutes and tied for the team lead with three hits in the Leafs’ 3-2 loss to the Detroit Red Wings in a Monday afternoon tilt that saw the home side direct 40 shots on target.

“Fun game to play,” said the 20-year-old, who mostly skated on the top line with Matthews and Matthew Knies. “Unfortunate we didn’t get the win there. Thought we played a pretty good game.”

“I wasn’t really nervous at all,” he added. “It wa

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