Matthews, Marner back with Leafs after 4 Nations

TORONTO – Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner were in Saturday’s lineup for the Maple Leafs.

The team’s superstar forwards had just gone toe-to-toe less than 48 hours earlier in an emotional, edge-of-your-seat 4 Nations Face-Off final in Boston.

Marner set up Connor McDavid’s dramatic overtime winner that pushed Canada to a dramatic 3-2 victory against Matthews and the United States to cap the riveting showcase tournament.

Toronto barely needed its dynamic duo early against the Carolina Hurricanes. The club was then forced to lean on them late.

The Leafs led 4-0 with just under five minutes left in the first period before the visitors pushed the score to 4-3 late in the third before Matthews iced the game into the empty net after both he and Marner played some hard minutes with the game in doubt.

“Everyone else had a little (break) and they’re probably playing the most intense games of the season and have to come back and get right back into it,” said Toronto goaltender Anthony Stolarz, who finished with 31 saves in what ended as a 6-3 win. “Kudos to them. They came out, played extremely well for us at both ends of the ice.

“Huge factors.”

Matthews, who finished with 19 minutes 14 seconds of ice time, scored his 389th career goal to tie Darryl Sittler for second on Toronto’s all-time list behind Mats Sundin (420).

Marner played 19:33, while William Nylander, who suited up for Sweden at the 4 Nations, but hadn’t played since Monday afternoon, finished with two assists in 19:58 of action.

“They get paid the big bucks, but at the end of the day, they grind it, too,” Leafs forward Steven Lorentz, who made a terrific play to set up David Kampf’s 3-0 goal, said of Matthews and Marner. “They’re obviously very skilled and they can put the puck in the net, but when the minutes get up there with them, you don’t really see it a whole lot.

“They’re fresh and they’re always ready to go.”

Leafs rookie Alex Steeves opened the scoring with his first NHL goal. He said there wasn’t much talk pre-game about Toronto’s big guns lacking gas in the tank.

“Those guys are the best in the world and they’ll be ready to go,” said the 25-year-old. “The message was just simplicity and get on the offence right away and really, really push.”

Leafs centre John Tavares said the physical, mental and emotional commitment the players expended in the 4 Nations can’t be discounted.

“They’re gamers,” he said of Matthews and Marner. “Made some key plays for us at key times and do what they do … great to have them back and get going here.”

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SIGH OF RELIEF

Steeves, who scored in his 12th NHL game, leads the American Hockey League with 29 goals this season for the Toronto Marlies.

“It felt really good,” said the forward from Saint Paul, Minn. “Bit of a relief, honestly.”

Steeves, who added an assist to give him three career points, took a pass from Tavares before firing past Carolina netminder Pyotr Kochetkov just 2:50 into Saturday’s game.

The undrafted free agent out of the University of Notre Dame signed with the Leafs in March 2021. He played three NHL games in both 2021-22 and 2022-23, once in 2023-24, and dressed four more times earlier this season.

“Any time anyone gets called up, you just want to make an impact,” Steeves said. “I am a goal-scorer and I know that. And I know I can be a goal-scorer at this level — just proving that with a nice finish.”

CHALLENGE NOT ACCEPTED

Toronto head coach Craig Berube thought about challenging Carolina’s first goal with less than eight minutes left in regulation after calling a timeout.

“It was tight and close,” he said. “In that situation, it’s got to be 110 per cent.”

Berube then joked: “It was only 105.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 22, 2025.

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