The Toronto Maple Leafs picked up a much-needed win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday night, largely thanks to the stellar performance of captain John Tavares. After the 5-2 win, Auston Matthews had some rave reviews for Tavaresâ performance, expressing his amazement over the second of Tavaresâ three goals in the game.
âHe was on it,â said Matthews via Mark Masters. â[The] second one was just special.â
Matthews wasnât the only one in awe over Tavaresâ second goal of the evening. Head coach Sheldon Keefe called the goal âbig-time stuffâ while Ilya Samsonov voiced his confidence in Tavares as the Maple Leafsâ leader.
The reactions from his teammates and coach barely do the goal justice. Tavaresâ second of three goals on the evening was an absolute beauty as he sifted his way through the defense before beating the goaltender to give Toronto a 4-2 lead.
đș JOHHHHNNNNY BOOOOOYYY!!!!! đș pic.twitter.com/DMUsyNw4fC
â Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) November 3, 2022
After the Maple Leafs started the year on a 4-4-2 skid, Wednesday nightâs win was crucial, both towards getting them back in the win column and boosting team morale. Tavares took things into his own hands with his hat trick, and his teammates were left impressed by his dominant performance.
Auston Matthews himself added a goal in the contest and also logged an assist while taking eight shots, but it was Tavaresâ exploits that stole the show for Toronto and secured their fifth win of the season. Matthews is now up to four goals and 10 points through his first 11 games of the year. Tavares, on the other hand, leads the Maple Leafs with seven goals and 14 points.