The Toronto Maple Leafs ended their three-game losing streak with a 3-1 victory over the San Jose Sharks on Monday, October 19.
San Jose took the lead in the first period, but Toronto tied it in the second before scoring two more in the third. Auston Matthews, Gavin McKenna, and Nick Paul scored for the Maple Leafs.
After the game, captain Auston Matthews spoke to the media about the matchup and how the team approached it. He also praised McKenna, calling him impressive.
Auston Matthews Praises Gavin McKenna After Sharks Win: ‘He’s Not Shy of the Moment’
“It seems that his goals come at big times in games. What would you say about his ability to deliver in big moments?” Matthews was asked.
He said, “Yeah, he’s not shy of the moment at all. I mean, I think, you know, you give him a little bit of time and space like he had there, he’s going to make something happen. And he did.”
On Thursday, October 15, the Maple Leafs failed to hold on to a 4-2 lead against the Buffalo Sabres and eventually lost 5-4 in overtime.
One controversial decision was benching McKenna after John Tavares was injured early in the game after colliding with Josh Norris. However, Matthews believes things like that don’t affect McKenna and that he simply carries on as if nothing happened.
“So, you know, he’s been fine these last couple of games and even, you know, kind of what happened a couple of nights ago. I mean, that stuff doesn’t shake him. He just keeps, he keeps churning away, and it’s impressive,” Matthews said.
Speaking about the game as a whole, he highlighted that they faced a very young team with plenty of talent that was certainly difficult to beat. However, he felt his team responded well and rose to the occasion, staying solid in every aspect of the game.
He said, “That’s a great one. I think that’s just top to bottom, you know, it’s a hard game, really good, young, skilled team. And I just thought, like, all facets of the game we were really, really solid in, from special teams. I mean, our penalty kill’s been great all year, but obviously tonight against a dangerous power play, you know, our power play comes through for a couple. (…) It’s hard games. You’ve got to really grind it out and try to wear the other team down. And I thought we did that tonight.”
Maple Leafs’ Auston Matthews Sends Strong Message on Gavin McKenna