Toronto Maple Leafs star Orton Matthews gave an frustrating rant after dropping a 2-0 series lead with the Florida Panthers.
The fierce Orton Matthews as the Florida Panthers drop series in the Maple Leafs Drop Series
After winning two opening matches in the second round of the NHL playoffs, the Toronto Maple Leafs are beginning to build confidence and may already be simulating a Stanley Cup final.
But three consecutive losses to the Panthers mean that Toronto drops a 2-0 lead, including a 6-1 thrashing in the home soil, and can’t afford to lose in the next encounter.
One of the people who caught the headline is Auston Matthews, who tends to be his main talking point as he is one of the highest paying players in the NHL.
The 27-year-old has yet to score in this 7-game series against the Panthers, and has performed overwhelmingly with three assists in the last five games.
Matthews spoke about his display, but also commented on the Toronto Maple Leafs’ approach to the final few games and what needs to happen for improvement.
He said: “I mean, like I said, I think everyone has to look in the mirror. You know, you include yourself. Everyone wants to be better. Everyone wants to win. And we’ve been a great road team all season.
“You know, this group has always been faithful and we have confidence in this group from what we’ve built up throughout the year. So we have to be confident in this game and it has to be the best game of the year.”
As mentioned earlier, Matthews has failed to score against the Florida Panthers so far, but the Americans don’t think they need to score to affect the game.
Matthews said: “To be honest, it doesn’t look at yourself like a one-dimensional player if you’re not scoring. You know, I’m trying to do other little things that will make my team successful, make myself successful and become a total complete player.
“So I’m obviously trying to push and score and continue filming. But obviously all the other little details of my game, I want to do it at a high level.”
