Auston Matthews exposed for poor effort as the Toronto Maple Leafs blow it against the Knights
Photo credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews found himself in a compromising position against the Las Vegas Golden Knights, and fans are not happy with him.
Auston Matthews may have had a goal against the Las Vegas Golden Knights last night, but he was far from an effective player throughout the course of the game.
He finished with a -3 rating, and for the most part, he was not effective on the defensive end. It was pretty difficult to watch, and the overtime was a disaster.
In fact, Matthews is having a rough morning, as some fans are calling him out for the game-winning goal, which saw the captain struggling to make an effort.
Auston Matthews blows it on the game-winning-goal
As you can see in the clip below, Matthews was all the way up the ice as the Golden Knights began to encroach on the Maple Leafs' net.
Even as the play developed, Matthews was gliding into the zone and barely making an effort. It was a bad look, even if the captain's shift was longer than it should have been.
There were some fans who felt like Matthews should have taken some extra strides, while others were empathetic to the fact that he was on the ice for too long.
Whatever the case may be, this was a bad loss for the Toronto Maple Leafs, who need all of the points they can get going forward.
The Leafs will simply have to shake this off and focus on Saturday night, where they will look to take on the Winnipeg Jets, a team they defeated on New Year's Day.
This upcoming stretch is not going to be easy, and the expectation is that the team will figure this out and continue their mid-season playoff push.
As for Mitch Marner, he got some revenge on his former team, although it remains to be seen whether or not he can keep it up when he returns to Toronto next Friday.
Also read on Blade of steel :
Toronto Maple Leafs lose William Nylander against the Golden Knights
Toronto Maple Leafs lose William Nylander against the Golden Knights