Auston Matthews has his say on Alex Ovechkin following Capitals thrashing

By Ankit Kumar

Modified Mar 21, 2024 21:32 GMT

Auston Matthews' performance was praiseworthy in the Toronto Maple Leafs' 7-3 victory over the Washington Capitals. His five-point performance included two goals and three assists, propelling the Leafs to their 39th win of the season. The Leafs now have a 39-20-9 record and are third in the Atlantic Division.

However, Alex Ovechkin of the Capitals also left a significant mark on the game. He scored two goals, bringing his career tally to an impressive 845. He inched closer to Gretzky's legendary record by just 50 goals.

Matthews acknowledged Ovechkin's status as the greatest goal-scorer of all time.

"We're all kind of running out of words to describe it," Matthews said. "He's the greatest goal-scorer of all-time, so it's always fun to play against him still and still watch him get it done and the excitement and passion he gets when he scores goals."

"Obviously, we'd like to see him not score against us, but when you're that good, you're bound to get opportunities and he makes good on them most of the time."

Despite the friendly rivalry on the ice, there was mutual respect and admiration among the players. Leafs forward Bobby McMann reflected on the intense matchup:

"When the world's best are going at it like that, it's always fun to watch. Nice that we came out on the right side of it, but yeah, it's cool to see."

Auston Matthews leads Maple Leafs to victory over Capitals

Auston Matthews matched his career-high with five points, propelling the Toronto Maple Leafs to a dominant 7-3 victory.

Despite Alexander Ovechkin inching closer to Wayne Gretzky's record, Matthews' pursuit of a historic 70-goal season regained momentum.

Coach Spencer Carbery acknowledged the Capitals' inability to contain Auston Matthews:

"Obviously, we had zero answer for No. 34 tonight."

While Ovechkin and Matthews showcased their scoring skills, other players also contributed. Max Domi praised the team effort:

"We found a way to answer it as a group, and I thought everyone did a great job of that from the first shift, Had everyone going, and we're a tough team to beat when we play like that."

Joseph Woll made 18 saves for the Leafs, while Charlie Lindgren stopped 22 shots for the Capitals. Ovechkin reflected on the challenging nature of the game:

"Nobody said it's going to be easy."

The Capitals faced adversity with key absences, including T.J. Oshie and Aliaksei Protas. Meanwhile, the Leafs were without Ryan Reaves and T.J. Brodie. Toronto's bounce back from a previous loss shows they are still in the Eastern Conference playoff race.