<p>Auston Matthews and the Toronto Maple Leafs roared from back from a 3-0 deficit, to defeat the Montreal Canadiens 7-3 at the Bell Centre on Saturday night.</p>
<p>Matthews took a double minor for high-sticking, when he clipped Canadiens forward Nick Suzuki, and Montreal capitalized with a Patrik Laine power play marker in the first frame. It looked like all hope was lost for the Maple Leafs, but they fired seven unanswered goals and it was a resilient efforts.</p>
<p>After the game, Matthews explained the Maple Leafs&#8217; mentality after a dreadful first period.</p>
<p>&#8220;I mean obviously, the first period wasn&#8217;t very good,&#8221; <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQ8K1YeGOgA">Matthews said</a>. &#8220;I think just the message in the room after 20 was, we can play so much better. We&#8217;ve got 40 minutes. I think with the talent that we have in this room, I don&#8217;t think there&#8217;s any doubt in our minds we can claw our ways back. I think it&#8217;s a testament to the guys in the room, there&#8217;s a no quit mentality, and we just went out there one shift at a time, we didn&#8217;t try to do it all in one sequence. It was just trying to roll them over, we got efforts from every line, production from every line. That&#8217;s huge.&#8221;</p>
<p>Matthews&#8217; performance in some ways was a microcosm of the Maple Leafs&#8217; showing overall, as he responded with the first short-handed goal of his career. When asked about his goal, Matthews deferred and took accountability for his high-sticking penalty, while speaking to the character of his teammates.</p>
<p>&#8220;It felt pretty good. Tonight wasn&#8217;t my best tonight, especially that first period, that&#8217;s a tough penalty to give up there, with the momentum tipping on their side. That win feels really good. Obviously this building has been a tough one for us the last couple of years. That first period was tough, but like I said, a testament to this room, to the guys that we have, that we have no quit.&#8221;</p>
<p>Matthews has been in terrific form since returning to the lineup on January 4 against the Boston Bruins, with seven goals and 12 points in eight games, while shooting and skating with the same velocity we&#8217;ve come to expect from one of the NHL&#8217;s best players.</p>
<p>It was a tremendous comeback for the Leafs against their historical rival and Matthews&#8217; comments are a firm reminder to the rest of the NHL: count the Leafs out at your own peril.</p>
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Auston Matthews and the Toronto Maple Leafs roared from back from a 3-0 deficit, to defeat the Montreal Canadiens 7-3 at the Bell Centre on Saturday night.

Matthews took a double minor for high-sticking, when he clipped Canadiens forward Nick Suzuki, and Montreal capitalized with a Patrik Laine power play marker in the first frame. It looked like all hope was lost for the Maple Leafs, but they fired seven unanswered goals and it was a resilient efforts.

After the game, Matthews explained the Maple Leafs' mentality after a dreadful first period.

"I mean obviously, the first period wasn't very good," <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQ8K1YeGOgA">Matthews said</a>. "I think just the message in the room after 20 was, we can play so much better. We've got 40 minutes. I think with the talent that we have in this room, I don't think there's any doubt in our minds we can claw our ways back. I think it's a testament to the guys in the room, there's a no quit mentality, and we just went out there one shift at a time, we didn't try to do it all in one sequence. It was just trying to roll them over, we got efforts from every line, production from every line. That's huge."

Matthews' performance in some ways was a microcosm of the Maple Leafs' showing overall, as he responded with the first short-handed goal of his career. When asked about his goal, Matthews deferred and took accountability for his high-sticking penalty, while speaking to the character of his teammates.

"It felt pretty good. Tonight wasn't my best tonight, especially that first period, that's a tough penalty to give up there, with the momentum tipping on their side. That win feels really good. Obviously this building has been a tough one for us the last couple of years. That first period was tough, but like I said, a testament to this room, to the guys that we have, that we have no quit."

Matthews has been in terrific form since returning to the lineup on January 4 against the Boston Bruins, with seven goals and 12 points in eight games, while shooting and skating with the same velocity we've come to expect from one of the NHL's best players.

It was a tremendous comeback for the Leafs against their historical rival and Matthews' comments are a firm reminder to the rest of the NHL: count the Leafs out at your own peril.
<div>
<h2><strong>Join us for the first-ever TLN Nation Vacation!</strong></h2>
</div>
<a href="https://nationgear.ca/products/nation-vacation-toronto-to-nashville-2025"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-115002" src="https://publish.theleafsnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2099/08/TLN_Nashville_article-1.png" alt="" width="727" height="404" /></a>
<div>

Alright, hockey fans, this isn’t just a trip—it’s the <a href="https://nationgear.ca/products/nation-vacation-toronto-to-nashville-2025">Nation Vacation</a>, and we’re heading to the Music City from March 20th to 23rd! Get ready to watch Toronto take on Nashville in their own barn, soak up the honky-tonk vibes, and make unforgettable memories with the Nation crew. Whether you’re all in for a flight package or prefer a non-flight option, we’ve got you covered. Just don’t wait—spots are limited, and this trip is going to be electric. Book your spot NOW at <a href="https://nationgear.ca/products/nation-vacation-toronto-to-nashville-2025" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://nationgear.ca&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1734810980719000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0_i7FzyATbvkLHQ3ApMxZH">nationgear.ca</a>. Let’s go, Toronto! Nashville is calling!

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