Auston Matthews felt Maple Leafs made progress despite late loss to Red Wings

Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews was encouraged by the improvements his team made despite falling short against the Detroit Red Wings on Monday.

Coming off a disappointing effort on Saturday against the same team, the Leafs responded with their best effort to begin the year as they thoroughly outshot the Red Wings 40-15. The difference in the game was an outstanding showing from Cam Talbot and a Mason Appleton goal in the final minute of regulation.

Matthews told reporters after the game that his team’s performance was a step in the right direction, even though it was all in vain.

“I  thought it was a good game. I think that’s definitely more the style to play and the way we want to compete through 60 minutes,” he said. “ It was a good hockey game, I thought we played well. There’s just gonna be nights like that where you just come up on the wrong side of it, but I think there’s lots that we can take from this game and build on.”

The captain was once again solid with a team-high eight shots on the afternoon, including a few glorious chances that Talbot denied. While he went scoreless in the contest, he did help start the play that led to Calle Jarnkrok’s tying goal by disrupting the clearing attempt enough for Matthew Knies to intercept.

A key factor in why Matthews looked sharp was the showing of Easton Cowan, who put together a promising NHL debut.

“ I thought he was great,” he said. “I think he just carries himself with such a good confidence in himself and in the way that he can play and compete. I thought he played really well tonight, easy guy to play with. He made smart plays with the puck, and when plays were to be made, he made ’em. When the simple play was there to just get the puck deeper, or whatnot, I thought he made it. Thought he was really good tonight.”

While there were some positives to take away from a frustrating loss, Matthews knew there were some areas that could be improved upon. He felt that the power play (which went 0-2 and no shots recorded on Monday) has been inconsistent so far this season, and the team could do better at drawing penalties to get into a rhythm.

One person who Matthews thinks doesn’t need any critiques is Calle Jarnkrok, who has come alive to start the season with goals in each of the first three games.

“I  just think he’s come in, he is healthy, and he’s skating well,” he said. “ He is always gonna be one of the hardest working guys on the ice and puts himself in some good shots.  He’s got a really good shot, really good release. When he’s got a little bit of time to get it off, he’s gonna make you pay and he’s been doing that.  I think that line’s been playing really well for us, just keeping it simple and grinding out the other team.”