"They weren't very good": Auston Matthews and William Nylander's line publicly criticized by Leafs HC Sheldon Keefe

Auston Matthews and William Nylander's line faced public criticism from Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe following the team's 3-2 win against the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre. Despite the victory, Keefe didn't mince words when evaluating the performance of the top line.

"They weren't very good. They just individually weren't very good. It's a night where the group picked them up, so that's good," remarked Keefe.

Matthews and Nylander managed just three shots on goal, while Tyler Bertuzzi didn't manage any. The absence of Mitch Marner, sidelined due to a lower-body injury sustained against Boston, left a noticeable gap in the lineup.

Auston Matthews has scored 54 goals and provided 26 assists in 63 games this season, while Nylander has contributed 34 goals and 50 assists in 64 games.

In contrast, Tyler Bertuzzi has scored 12 goals and provided 17 assists in 63 games.

Maple Leafs edge Canadiens 3-2 despite Auston Matthews' subpar showing

Just 36 seconds in and Mike Matheson gave Montreal a 1-0 lead. He received a pass from Cole Caufield and looped a backhand shot around Ilya Samsonov.

Bobby McMann tied it up early in the second period, before Max Domi gave Toronto the lead just shy of the 19-minute mark with a shot right under Samuel Montembeault’s le­ft arm.

In the third period, Alex Newhook leveled proceedings in the power play. Newhook received a pass from Juraj Slafkovsky and struck it cleanly past Samsonov.

John Tavares scored the game-winning goal for the Maple Leafs with only six minutes and 46 seconds left in the third period after battling with Tanner Pearson.

Ilya Samsonov stood tall in net for the Maple Leafs, making 29 saves, while Sam Montembeault made 24 saves for the Canadiens in a losing effort.

The Maple Leafs have now won four of their past six games, while the Canadiens have dropped four of their past five.