Auston Matthews goes after Ryan Suter in defense of his teammate Mitch Marner who got nailed
Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews goes after St. Louis Blues veteran defenseman Ryan Suter after a dirty hit on his teammate Mitch Marner.
Auston Matthews & Pontus Holmberg showed their grit in Saturday's game against the St. Louis Blues.
The Leafs led 1-0 at the first intermission but came out flat in the second period allowing the Blues to score three unanswered goals & take a 3-1 lead into the second break.
In the third period things turned heated. Blues defenseman Ryan Suter delivered a hard hit on Mitch Marner away from the puck which Matthews didn't take lightly. He responded with a strong cross check to Suter sending him to the ice. Unfortunately for Matthews he was the only one penalized on the play even though Suter's hit on Marner seemed like clear interference.
During Matthews' penalty the Leafs amped up their physicality with big hits from David Kampf & Jake McCabe. Tensions eventually led to a quick fight between Pontus Holmberg & Pavel Buchnevich.
Under head coach Craig Berube the Leafs have shown they won't be pushed around and are now the ones setting the tone physically which is something that's been a welcomed change for their fanbase.
Though the Leafs made a late effort to tie the game an empty net goal from Buchnevich sealed a 4-2 win for the Blues. Still the Leafs newfound toughness was a highlight for fans.
