Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews shuts down Sens HC Travis Green's ‘selling’ penalties claim during Game 1 battle

Auston Matthews and the Toronto Maple Leafs came out guns blazing in Game 1 of the Battle of Ontario on Sunday night. Their high-octane offense was on full display en route to a convincing 6-2 win over the Ottawa Senators.

Toronto's potent power play was the difference maker, going 3-6, scoring goals at critical points throughout the game. The five-forward number one unit of Matthew Knies, Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, and John Tavares left Ottawa searching for answers on how to contain them.

Sens head coach Travis Green was not happy with the officiating and made reference to the Maple Leafs doing a good job of 'selling' penalty calls in his postgame media availability. However, Auston Matthews doesn't feel that was the case.

Matthews was asked on Monday what the Maple Leafs did well to get six power-play opportunities in Game 1. TSN reporter Mark Masters shared his response on X (formerly Twitter).

"We were hanging onto pucks. They’re making calls based on what they feel are penalties. We’re playing hockey ... (smile) to answer your question, I guess, no, I don’t think we were doing anything special to draw penalties," Matthews said.

Auston Matthews delivered an all-around performance, registering two points (two assists), six shots on goal, and four hits in 18:42 minutes of action in the Game 1 victory. The Maple Leafs captain is in the first season of the four-year, $53,000,000 contract extension he signed to stay in Toronto during the 2023 offseason.

Auston Matthews looks to be fully healthy

After two lengthy injury stints at the beginning of the year, Auston Matthews appears to be at the top of his game during the most important time of the year.

The 27-year-old finished with 78 points (33 goals, 45 assists) in 67 games, despite many calling it a down season. He's translated his strong two-way game to begin the playoffs and will look to continue that moving forward.

General Manager Brad Treliving praised his captain's overall play this year prior to Game 1. Sportsnet shared the clip on X.

"What he does away from the puck sets the standard for everybody else. His overall game is as good as I've ever seen it," Treliving said.

Matthews and the Maple Leafs have their sights set on taking a 2-0 series lead over the Ottawa Senators in Game 2 at home on Tuesday night. The puck drops at 7:30 p.m. EST at Scotiabank Arena.