If there was a game that perfectly embodied what Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner are capable of when they’re at their best, it was Wednesday night’s 3-2 win over the Nashville Predators.
On the scoresheet, you’ll see that Matthews had two goals and Marner three assists, which is standard on a night they’re both clicking. But they were so much more than that tonight. The Maple Leafs were getting shut down by Predators goaltender Juuse Saros and the team alike for the first 40 minutes, but as soon as the final frame began, those two showed why they’re the first and fourth-highest-paid players on the team.
It started with Berube reuniting them to get some offence going, which took all of 31 seconds to happen.
AUSTON MATTHEWS 🚨
and the Leafs are finally only the board pic.twitter.com/CkNGFWHsk8
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) December 5, 2024
Not even two minutes later, Marner fed Matthews for what just might be one of the goals of the season when it’s all said and done.
OH MY AUSTON MATTHEWS 🤯 pic.twitter.com/3U2ag94SfR
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) December 5, 2024
It wasn’t just offence that made their performance special tonight. Marner specifically displayed excellent instincts on both sides of the puck, drew the penalty that led to William Nylander’s goal to make it 3-0, and he even went after Zachary L’Heureux after the Predators forward took an extra swipe at Joseph Woll’s pads after the whistle.
Marner and Knies take don’t like what they saw there pic.twitter.com/5EzTucIYzT
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) December 5, 2024
It almost felt like Marner had an extra chip on his shoulder after being named to Team Canada for the 4 Nations Cup earlier in the day. This was truly an example of a game where the Maple Leafs’ stars did what they’re paid to do and put the team on their backs when they needed them the most. And we can’t move on without giving another shoutout to Joseph Woll, who had an extremely solid game stopping 22 of 24 shots.
His first goal was an absolute fluke, with the puck taking a weird bounce off of the glass behind him and dropping into his crease without him realizing, and although the second one was probably one he’d like to have back, he stopped a ton of high-danger chances that easily could have given the Predators another momentum boost early in the game.
The Maple Leafs have now won six of their last seven games and will look to keep the train rolling on Friday night when they host the Washington Capitals.
