Auston Matthews addresses Toronto Maple Leafs' 9-3 defeat to Buffalo Sabres

By Abhishek Dilta

Modified Dec 22, 2023 17:53 GMT

Auston Matthews delivered his thoughts following Thursday's humiliating away defeat to the Buffalo Sabres.

After losing 9-4 to the Columbus Blue Jackets in their last outing, the Buffalo Sabres bounced back with a stellar performance, thrashing the Toronto Maple Leafs 9-3 at home.

It was a top-notch performance from the Sabres. Jeff Skinner, who returned from an injury, accumulated two goals and an assist; Alex Tuch had a four-point night; and Tage Thompson contributed three points for the Sabres in the contest.

Meanwhile, Auston Matthews scored a goal to take his tally to 26 as the leading goal scorer this season. Apart from him, Max Domi and Calle Jarnkrok were the other scorers in the game.

It was a frustrating game for Matthews. Following the Maple Leafs' 9-3 loss, the forward said:

"Embarrassing is the word I’d use,” said Auston Matthews. “Probably the worst game since I’ve been here."

This was the second consecutive painful defeat for the Leafs, having previously lost to the New York Rangers 5-2 in their previous outing. The Maple Leafs are riding a two-game losing streak and will look to bounce back when they face the Columbus Blue Jackets away on Saturday.

How has Auston Matthews fared for the Toronto Maple Leafs this season?

New York Rangers v Toronto Maple Leafs

Matthews, as always, has been one of the best players for the Leafs this season and has fully lived up to expectations after signing a lucrative four-year, $53 million contract back in August.

Matthews, who has passed the 40-goal mark four times, leads the NHL in goals with 26. He is the second-leading points scorer (38 points) for the Leafs after William Nylander (42). The defeat to the Sabres on Thursday marked the second time this season that the Leafs have lost back-to-back games.

With 38 points (16-8-6), the Leafs are second in the Atlantic Division, six points behind division leaders Boston Bruins.