‘That's The Way The Game Goes’: Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, Post Career-Worst Minus-6 In Maple Leafs Loss To Hurricanes

The Toronto Maple Leafs suffered a 6-3 defeat to the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday night, ending their season-high five-game winning streak. Despite an early surge that saw Toronto jump out to a 2-0 lead less than eight minutes into the first period, the Hurricanes responded with their own offensive push, scoring two goals in 17 seconds.

As the game progressed, the score was tied 3-3, but the Hurricanes managed three unanswered goals to seal the victory.

Amidst all the chaos, captain Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner had a night to forget.

Both forwards finished with a career-worst minus-six rating, a statistic that reflected their struggles in containing Carolina’s offense at even strength. Neither had previously posted worse than a minus-four in a game in their career.

“Yeah, 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,” said Matthews 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.”

Most of the damage came at the hands of 36-year-old Jordan Staal, who recorded a hat-trick for the Hurricanes. Staal’s line outmatched Matthews, Marner, and linemate Matthew Knies, who also finished the game with a discouraging minus-five rating.

Defenseman Morgan Rielly, tasked with anchoring the Leafs’ top defensive pair alongside Chris Tanev, ended the night at minus-three.

“I thought they made a good push, and we had breakdowns in our own zone,” head coach Craig Berube said following the loss. “That left the slot open too much tonight, didn’t cover it. And then, you know, I thought we just spent too much time in our zone in general going forward. Especially in the second. I mean, we didn’t kill more plays, or come up with more pucks. And we didn’t. You know, it kind of got away from us.”

"Their team identity, they work extremely hard," added Matthews. "They skate, you know, they close gaps. They play with a lot of pressure. So, you know, I thought we had good sequences of the game. And then, you know, just like I said, little breakdowns, little poor execution that they obviously capitalized on."

Related: ‘We Need Some Balance’: Why Morgan Rielly And Chris Tanev Are Reuniting On Defense Ahead Of Maple Leafs' Matchup With Hurricanes

Berube also acknowledged the challenges posed by Carolina’s Staal-led line, which caused the Leafs bench boss to shuffle his top lines mid-game, moving Marner to John Tavares’ second line while promoting William Nylander to Matthews’ wing.

The change was a response to the top unit’s struggles defensively, though it came too late to make a significant impact.

“Well, they're (Staal) a good line. They've been a good line,” Berube explained. “And, you know, they're just hard to play against. They're heavy. They're above you all the time. They make you work for everything. And they ended up capitalizing on a couple of goals against. It's difficult. But, like I said, we just had too many breakdowns tonight that we've got to clean up.”

The loss exposed flaws in the Maple Leafs’ defensive structure that haven’t necessarily been seen over the previous five games, allowing more than two goals against only once in a 6-4 win over the Boston Bruins in that stretch.

With the Vancouver Canucks awaiting a matchup against the club on Saturday, Berube and Co. will hit the drawing board looking to turn the page, seeking a bounce-back performance from his team on home ice.

“We didn't play hard enough,” said forward Nick Robertson. “I think we've got to shut down those guys skating around in our zone and ending plays. And yeah, we learned from that and we've got another good game coming up.”

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