Auston Matthews makes his feelings known about Team USA's dominating 6-1 win over Finland at 4 Nations Face-Off

Auston Matthews captained Team USA to a dominant 6-1 win over Finland in the 4 Nations Face-Off on Thursday night. The Toronto Maple Leafs star had an assist in nearly 20 minutes of ice time, but he made his thoughts on the win very clear in his postgame conversation.

He said:

"That's a good team over there, good structure. The first 40 minutes, good looks on both sides, I think just sticking with it, continuing to force pressure, get pucks below the dots and then go from there to try to attack the net."

Matthews praised Matthew Tkachuk and Brady Tkachuk who combined for four of the six USA goals. Matthews said they were "the best in front of the net" against Finland and praised their overall skill.

As for the upcoming matchup with Canada, Matthews said:

“Yeah, I mean, we know the building’s going to be rocking. They’re obviously a pretty good team, a lot of great players on that side. We expect their best, so we know they’re going to be ready.”

The USA and Canada will face off on Saturday night in a highly anticipated bout between the first two winners of 4 Nations Face-Off games.

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NHL insider hails Auston Matthews as a player to watch at 4 Nations

Auston Matthews was matched up with Aleksander Barkov all night, as the Finnish team tried to do its best to quiet the USA captain. It worked to an extent, as he only had one assist thanks to Barkov's efforts.

Auston Matthews led America to a 6-1 win (Imagn)

However, Matthews typically has to work up to his top form in tournament play. In nine playoff series, Matthews hasn't scored in the opener every single time except one.

Despite that, Greg Wyshynski of ESPN said he's someone to watch:

"Though he didn't score himself, Matthews created Guentzel's goal scored just 11 seconds after Matthew Tkachuk's goal to open the third -- intercepting the puck at his blue line and then dishing to Guentzel after attracting Finland's defenders to the slot.

"Matthews' line with Guentzel and Hughes was consistently good all game for the U.S., combining for 14 shot attempts."

Mattews will have to face off against Canada on Saturday, the nation he routinely performs in front of with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He has the chance, per Wyshynski to lead the USA to an "epic win" and silence the critics.