"It was unintentional" - Auston Matthews on his collision with Sidney Crosby during Leafs-Penguins clash 

By ARJUN B

Modified Apr 09, 2024 04:06 GMT

A major collision between superstars Auston Matthews and Sidney Crosby became a controversial flashpoint in Monday's matchup between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Pittsburgh Penguins.

Matthews later explained the violent crash that sent both players tumbling to the ice was completely accidental on his part.

The incident occurred in the final minute of the third period. As Matthews described, he was focused on trying to get in the shooting lane to block when the violent shoulder-to-shoulder impact happened:

"I just tried to get in the lane to block the shot & my momentum was going that way & I think his momentum was coming my way & I didn’t see him until the last second.

"It was unintentional & I was just hoping he was OK, honestly," Auston Matthews said after the game.

Both superstars were sent crashing hard to the ice from the force of the collision. Thankfully, Crosby appeared no worse for wear despite an earlier shot he took off the face.

The high-speed crash came at the end of a painful stretch for Crosby. Earlier in the second period, he jammed his knee into the goalpost after being driven into the net by Jake McCabe.

Crosby also took a puck to the face, though it was ruled his injury came from an intentional bat by Leafs' Bobby McMann rather than a high-stick.

The Maple Leafs won the eventful game 3-2 in the end.

Auston Matthews's Maple Leafs' 3-2 overtime win against Penguins

Defenseman Jake McCabe scored the game-winning goal for Toronto at 1:30 of the extra period after receiving a pass from Auston Matthews.

Matthews notched his NHL-leading 65th goal of the season on the power play in the third period to give the Leafs a 2-1 edge.

Pittsburgh's Rickard Rakell opened the scoring late in the first period after taking a feed from Evgeni Malkin and sniping one past Ilya Samsonov. Matthews tied it up with his rocket one-timer just over a minute into the third before Drew O'Connor knotted things up again at 2-2 with under seven minutes left.

But McCabe's overtime winner secured the extra point for Toronto. Auston Matthews finished with a goal and assist, while rookie Matthew Knies also scored for the Leafs. Goaltender Ilya Samsonov made 30 saves in the victory.

Despite the overtime loss, the Penguins still gained a crucial point to stay right in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race. Pittsburgh sits tied with Detroit for the final wild card spot and just one point behind the New York Islanders for third in the Metropolitan Division.

Toronto strengthened its grip on third place in the Atlantic Division standings with the win. The Leafs also stayed six points up on Tampa Bay.