Maple Leafs’ John Tavares believes Radko Gudas delivered ‘dirty’ hit on Auston Matthews

The Toronto Maple Leafs found themselves back in the win column, defeating the Anaheim Ducks 6-4 on Thursday night to break their eight-game losing streak. It quickly became a spirited affair between two teams that only see each other twice a year. 

Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews scored in the second period to break his 12-game goal drought, but what transpired five minutes later in the second period is what truly ignited the game. Ducks captain Radko Gudas caught Matthews with a knee-on-knee hit, forcing Matthews to leave the game, resulting in a five-minute major penalty and a game misconduct. Matthews was ruled out prior to the third period, and will be evaluated on Friday.

Maple Leafs assistant captain John Tavares touched on what he thought of the hit on the team’s captain. 

“I didn’t like it. I thought it was dirty. I think the referees made the call, reviewed it and to me made the right call,” Tavares said post-game. “I think we responded well with taking advantage of the opportunity that we had. Certainly, we hope he is alright, I haven’t seen him since, but obviously, if he doesn’t come back there’s some concern because I know how tough he is and how committed he is to taking care of himself.”

Toronto rallied back for a 6-4 victory, and Tavares spoke about the team’s regrouping during the third period . 

“I think we just responded to what the game required. Emotions got high and I think we responded really well with the way we came back and certainly the way we came out and initiated play,” Tavares said. “We did what we had to do to give ourselves a good lead, to put ourselves in a good spot to continue to be hard on our opponent, compete and play right until the end.”

The Maple Leafs knew that their response or lack thereof in the moment when Matthews went down wasn’t good enough, highlighted by the uptick in physicality and togetherness showcased in the third period. 

“We know the importance of sticking up for each other and sticking together. Whether it was that moment or the response to the rest of the game, I think we understood what was required. The guys as a whole came out the rest of the night and did a really good job of playing hard, playing physical, playing smart and going at our opponents,” Tavares said. “Not only playing physical, standing our ground and responding to what happened, but doing what we need to do to win a hockey game and get a big win.”

Toronto resumes its schedule against the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday, where another physical response may be required.