<p>Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews submitted one of the worst defensive performances of his career in a 6-3 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes, and reflected on what went wrong post-game.</p>
<p>Matthews and Mitch Marner went -6 during the contest, although Matthews scored a key equalizing goal on the power play in the secnd period. It was the first time a player went -6 with a power play marker since Jonathan Marchessault reached this dubious feat nearly seven years ago.</p>
<p>&#8220;Just a couple breakdowns. I mean, they capitalized on some of their chances and just gained momentum on their side. And obviously, didn&#8217;t do a very good job of keeping the puck out of our net and key time to the game,&#8221; Matthews said post-game. &#8220;So, you know, sometimes that&#8217;s the way the game goes. You&#8217;ve just got to learn from it and do better the next one.&#8221;</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Auston Matthews was minus-6 with a power play goal. The last five players to be minus-6 with a goal: <a href="https://t.co/U8aPDGgQAq">pic.twitter.com/U8aPDGgQAq</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Cory Lavalette (@corylav) <a href="https://twitter.com/corylav/status/1877564727078920700?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 10, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal broke the game open with a hat-trick, adding an insurance goal in the third period, while Seth Jarvis capped off the win with an empty-netter. Staal previously scored short-handed to give the Hurricanes a 3-2 lead, Matthews then equalized for the Maple Leafs, before Jackson Blake — the son of former Maple Leafs forward Jason Blake — restored the Hurricanes&#8217; lead for good.</p>
<p>&#8220;I think being more cognizant, making sure there are guys are getting back and helping,&#8221; Matthews said of what he can learn from Staal&#8217;s short-handed marker. &#8220;Obviously with Mitchy (Marner) back there, he&#8217;s extremely good on the back end so you have a lot of trust in him, but it doesn&#8217;t matter who&#8217;s back there, you have to get back and help out on odd-man (rushes) the other way, especially on the power play.&#8221;</p>
<div class="jetpack-video-wrapper"><iframe loading="lazy" title="Maple Leafs Media Availability | Postgame vs Carolina Hurricanes | January 09, 2025" width="1424" height="801" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/y7G9QU4NA9g?start=1&#038;feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<p>Matthews and the Maple Leafs will rest up Friday, before taking on the Vancouver Canucks. It appears that Matthews and the Maple Leafs are putting a brutal night against the Hurricanes out of mind as a one-off, as their five-game winning streak came to an end. It&#8217;s rare to see two players capable of Selke-level defence get picked apart in defensive coverage, and we&#8217;re sure head coach Craig Berube will have lots of instruction behind the scenes on Friday.</p>
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Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews submitted one of the worst defensive performances of his career in a 6-3 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes, and reflected on what went wrong post-game.

Matthews and Mitch Marner went -6 during the contest, although Matthews scored a key equalizing goal on the power play in the secnd period. It was the first time a player went -6 with a power play marker since Jonathan Marchessault reached this dubious feat nearly seven years ago.

"Just a couple breakdowns. I mean, they capitalized on some of their chances and just gained momentum on their side. And obviously, didn't do a very good job of keeping the puck out of our net and key time to the game," Matthews said post-game. "So, you know, sometimes that's the way the game goes. You've just got to learn from it and do better the next one."

https://twitter.com/corylav/status/1877564727078920700?s=46&amp;t=ZScKpOPIyd2CPPkszRwq8w

Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal broke the game open with a hat-trick, adding an insurance goal in the third period, while Seth Jarvis capped off the win with an empty-netter. Staal previously scored short-handed to give the Hurricanes a 3-2 lead, Matthews then equalized for the Maple Leafs, before Jackson Blake — the son of former Maple Leafs forward Jason Blake — restored the Hurricanes' lead for good.

"I think being more cognizant, making sure there are guys are getting back and helping," Matthews said of what he can learn from Staal's short-handed marker. "Obviously with Mitchy (Marner) back there, he's extremely good on the back end so you have a lot of trust in him, but it doesn't matter who's back there, you have to get back and help out on odd-man (rushes) the other way, especially on the power play."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7G9QU4NA9g&amp;t=1s

Matthews and the Maple Leafs will rest up Friday, before taking on the Vancouver Canucks. It appears that Matthews and the Maple Leafs are putting a brutal night against the Hurricanes out of mind as a one-off, as their five-game winning streak came to an end. It's rare to see two players capable of Selke-level defence get picked apart in defensive coverage, and we're sure head coach Craig Berube will have lots of instruction behind the scenes on Friday.
<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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Auston Matthews reflects on Leafs’ defensive mistakes after -6 game vs. Hurricanes

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