NHL

NHL News: Auston Matthews shares thoughts after win vs Nathan MacKinnon’s Avalanche

Toronto Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews made an honest admission after reflecting on the win over Nathan MacKinnon's Colorado Avalanche in the 2024-25 NHL season.

Auston Matthews #34 of the Tampa Bay Lightning looks on during the 2022 NHL All-Star Skills at T-Mobile Arena on February 04, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
© Christian Petersen/Getty ImagesAuston Matthews #34 of the Tampa Bay Lightning looks on during the 2022 NHL All-Star Skills at T-Mobile Arena on February 04, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Auston Matthews shared his thoughts from his place as the star of the Toronto Maple Leafs following their 2-1 victory over the Colorado Avalanche in the 2024-25 NHL season. The game, which saw Nathan MacKinnon playing at a high level, ended the Avs’ nine-game point streak.

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A significant part of Toronto’s victory can be credited to goaltender Joseph Woll, who made 38 crucial saves. Auston Matthews opened the scoring for the Maple Leafs, but Valeri Nichushkin responded to level the game for the Avalanche. However, the decisive goal came in the third period when Steven Lorentz sealed the 2-1 win.

MacKinnon is in great form, leading the NHL with 104 points and 77 assists. He couldn’t tilt the game in his favor to prevent the Maple Leafs’ victory, which marked their second consecutive win after losing five of their last six games. This led to Matthews’ remarks.

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Matthews’ admission after the win vs Avalanche

“I think it was just a gritty win. They’ve got some high-end speed and skill over there, and I thought we did a good job of when we needed to defend, we checked hard and Woll was there to back us up at the end too,” Matthews said about win vs Colorado, according to NHL.com.

Nathan MacKinnon #29 of the Colorado Avalanche plays the New York Rangers in the third period at Ball Arena on January 14, 2025 in Denver, Colorado.

Nathan MacKinnon #29 of the Colorado Avalanche plays the New York Rangers in the third period at Ball Arena on January 14, 2025 in Denver, Colorado.

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MacKinnon sends bold admission after loss to Maple Leafs

The loss to the Maple Leafs ended a long point streak for the Avalanche, who allowed the opposing goalkeeper to shine in a remarkable way. MacKinnon didn’t hold back and expressed his frustration, even though Colorado fought hard throughout the game.

Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon’s two-word reaction after loss to Auston Matthews’ Maple Leafs

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“There’s 82 games, there’s going to be weird games like that every year so. I thought we played really well. Just unfortunate. It’s a good process. We’re not going to win every single game. They had looks too but we had a ton too. That could have been a 7-6 game,” MacKinnon admitted.

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