Auston Matthews bluntly addresses Mitch Marner's faceoff goal after Maple Leafs' loss to Predators

Auston Matthews spoke honestly about Mitch Marner’s goal after the Toronto Maple Leafs lost 5-2 to the Nashville Predators. The Maple Leafs started strong, taking a 2-0 lead in the first period. But Nashville responded with five unanswered goals to win the game. Matthews explained how he set up Marner’s goal but made it clear that it did not matter in the end.

Matthews said:

"(Ryan O'Reilly) is good in the dot. He's strong. So, I had to draw inside. I just tried to time it quick and make sure that (Marner) knew that I was trying to come to him and ended up working out. In the end, we lost. So, who cares?”

Marner’s goal came after Auston Matthews won a faceoff and quickly sent him the puck. The play was well executed, but Toronto could not maintain control of the game. The team’s defensive mistakes allowed Nashville to gain momentum and take the lead. Filip Forsberg led the Predators with two goals and an assist, while Luke Evangelista added a goal and two assists.

Toronto had won three straight games before this loss. The team remains tied with the Florida Panthers for first place in the Atlantic Division. Head coach Craig Berube pointed out that the Leafs made mental mistakes that cost them the game.

“I haven’t seen the mental mistakes like we made tonight in a while,” Berube said (via NHL.com). “So we’ll look at it, we’ll discuss it with our team and go over things. And we’ll go over how we looked in the first period, too. Like I said, it’s a flip of the switch there for me.”

The Toronto Maple Leafs (42-25-3) will next play against the Philadelphia Flyers (28-34-9) on March 25 at 7:00 PM EDT.

Craig Berube praised Auston Matthews' leadership on Monday after Maple Leafs' win over Flames

Auston Matthews played a big role in the Maple Leafs’ 6-2 win over the Flames, scoring twice and adding an assist. Before the game, he spoke to his teammates about improving their effort. Head coach Craig Berube later said Matthews took charge in the locker room and led by example on the ice.

"He grabbed ahold of the room," Craig Berube said via mapleleafshotstove.com on Monday. "It is not good enough what is going on here. He went out and talked, and then he walked. That is really what it boils down to. He went out and led the way with the work and compete that was needed at the start of the game."

Auston Matthews scored two power-play goals, which helped boost his confidence. He also received praise from NHL analysts like Mike Johnson for his defensive efforts in the game, which is just as effective as scoring goals.