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Auston Matthews Reveals Temporary Effects of Aleksander Barkov's Stick-to-Face Move

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Antonio Losada | Last updated May 17, 2025 8:35 AM ET

Auston Matthews delivered the goal that saved the Toronto Maple Leafs’ season on Friday night, but his ability to do so was briefly in question midway through Game 6 against the Florida Panthers.

The Leafs captain revealed postgame that a high stick from Aleksander Barkov caught him under the visor and temporarily impaired his vision.

“I just caught it in the eye,” Matthews said. “So, it was a little scary there. I had trouble seeing, so they wanted to check it out in the room and let it calm down.”

Matthews left the ice in discomfort late in the second period and did not return immediately, although he was able to continue after getting back to the game.

Auston Matthews says the Barkov high stick temporarily impaired his vision but assures he’s fine now.
— luke fox (@lukefoxjukebox) May 17, 2025

Though the incident went unpunished, it could have had serious consequences for Toronto’s season, with Matthews the game-winning goal scorer in Game 6.

“I was kind of able to get whatever kind of decent vision back and finally go out there,” Matthews said. “But they definitely wanted to make sure it was checked out and make sure it was all good.”

Less than ten minutes into the third, Matthews scored his first goal of the series, firing a low wrist shot through Sergei Bobrovsky to give Toronto a 1–0 lead.

Matthews called the Leafs' win "gutsy" at the end of the game, acknowledging Toronto "battled hard all three periods."

“It felt great,” Matthews said. “I’ve had some good opportunities all series, and so I’m going to keep shooting and keep believing that the next one’s going in.”

Max Pacioretty added Toronto's second goal of the evening while Joseph Woll made 22 saves for the shutout, his first ever in a playoff game.

The 2–0 win tied the series 3–3 and sent it back to Toronto, where Game 7 between the Maple Leafs and Panthers is scheduled for Sunday at Scotiabank Arena, with puck drop set for 7:30 p.m. ET.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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