Ex-Maple Leafs defenseman makes his feeling known about Auston Matthews' 'lucky goal'

Former Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Carlo Colaiacovo weighed in on Auston Matthews’ third-period performance against the Nashville Predators, describing one of Matthews’ goals as "lucky." Speaking on TSN 1050’s First Up with Aaron Korolnek on Thursday, Colaiacovo acknowledged Matthews’ skill but suggested that luck played a role in the goal on Wednesday.

Colaiacovo noted that Auston Matthews positioned himself well and executed an impressive toe drag, but the play caught Nashville goaltender Juuse Saros off guard due to its unexpected simplicity. The goal was one of two Matthews scored in the third period. Colaiacovo said:

"But look, it was a lucky goal by Matthews, but clearly he put himself in a very good position to create that puck, I mean, with an incredible toe drag. And it was a fan move that caught Saros off guard, because Saros are suspecting him to make a bigger move."

Colaiacovo also talked about the importance of the Maple Leafs' energy in the third period:

“Those are typical games that previous, they believed teams would have probably found a way to lose versus finding a way to win, which is what they did."

The former defenseman also spoke about Auston Matthews’ gradual return to top form. He also highlighted Matthews’ ability to deliver in key moments while accepting the role of luck and timing in the Leafs’ win.

Auston Matthews received praise from his teammates

The Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Nashville Predators 3-2 with a strong third-period performance. Auston Matthews helped Toronto come back from a 1-0 deficit.

“I pulled it in really tight and it kind of came out hot,” Matthews explained the goal, per NHL.com. “He looked to poke check so I just tried to leave it and fortunately I guessed right and he guessed wrong and I was just fortunate it went in.”

Mitch Marner contributed to each of the three goals from the Leafs' camp.

Teammates praised Matthews for his performance.

“Auston was great for us getting those two goals and then a good job by us just shutting them down to the wire.” Woll said who made important saves for Leafs.

Nylander, who scored the game-winning goal for the Leafs, said:

“Mitch and Auston kind of took over there and made a great play and got us going."

Jonathan Marchessault gave the Predators an early lead with an unusual goal that bounced off the boards. Toronto stayed patient and controlled the game, outshooting Nashville 18-12 through the next two periods.