"Immature" "Sloppiness": Auston Matthews, William Nylander on Leafs' 6-3 loss to Devils

Toronto Maple Leafs forwards Auston Matthews and William Nylander were critical of their performance on Tuesday night in an ugly, 6-3 loss to the New Jersey Devils.

In an interview with The Hockey News' David Alter, Matthews had this to say about their performance:

"I think just a little bit of an immature game from us tonight at times. And I just have to have that killer instinct a little bit more, especially when you have a good first period like that. I wanna come out and stay on the hunt there, and then the second, I thought we kind of took a step back instead of a step forward."

During the same interview with Alter, William Nylander had this to say about the result:

“Sloppiness in the team’s game tonight. It is rattling, we’re capable of a lot better.”

The Maple Leafs came out strong with a goal from Tyler Bertuzzi a minute and four seconds into the opening frame. However, the Devils regrouped and scored two straight goals to take the lead. Nylander and Matthews scored one apiece to reclaim the lead for Toronto.

However, the New Jersey Devils scored another two goals to take momentum into the final period. Jack Hughes added a brace to complete a 6-3 win.

Auston Matthews looking to elevate his game

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews scored back-to-back hat tricks in the first two games to start the year.

Matthews has 58 goals this season, with 11 games remaining. He is projected to reach 67 goals by the end of the season.

In an interview with CBC's Stephen Whyno, Matthews said:

"I'm just going to continue to push and try to elevate my game towards the stretch and do what I can to help the team win."