Jay Rosehill criticizes Auston Matthews’ and Mitch Marner’s performance in 4 Nations Face-Off (Source: Imagn)
Former Toronto Maple Leafs enforcer Jay Rosehill questioned Auston Matthews’ and Mitch Marner’s performances in the 4 Nations Face-Off. Matthews, last year’s NHL top scorer with 69 goals, has only recorded one assist in three games so far, while Marner has one goal.
On the Monday episode of The Leafs Nation podcast, former Maple Leafs forward Jay Rosehill expressed his disappointment, saying Matthews has been nearly invisible on the ice.
“I’m really interested to see what Matthews looks like, and I’m not noticing him out there… I didn’t even see 34 out there… I don’t see Auston’s shot this year. I don’t see him having his shot. He is missing the net, putting in bread basket hitting the side of the net.
Rosehill then claimed that Matthews and Mitch Marner, who is in the final year of his $65.4 million deal with the Leafs, have similar shortcomings.
“Neither of those guys in Mitch and Auston are the guys that just break through and lead the charge and say get on my back where they go wave after wave after wave and are just relentless…” Rosehill said.
He also noted that Matthews and Mitch Marner have struggled to dictate play and often look like “ghosts” when the game demands a strong presence. Rosehill believes elite players like Matthews should take control and carry their teams, but he has not seen that in this tournament.
Auston Matthews missed the United States’ final group stage game against Sweden due to upper-body soreness. However, he is expected to play in the tournament final against Canada on Thursday night. The U.S. used 11 forwards instead of seven defensemen, with Chris Kreider replacing Matthew Tkachuk, who has a lower-body injury.
Marner, on the other hand, has also faced challenges in the tournament, being demoted twice by Team Canada head coach Jon Cooper. After a strong start, he struggled against Team USA and was moved down the lineup. He is now on the third line with Anthony Cirelli and Brandon Hagel. Despite the change, Marner’s ice time remains stable due to his role on special teams.
Auston Matthews makes his intentions clear: “We’re here to win”
Prior to the Sweden game, Auston Matthews and Team USA won 3-1 against Canada on Saturday in the 4 Nations Face-Off, earning a spot in the finals. The game was much awaited, and it didn’t disappoint.
Three fights in the first nine seconds of the game set the tone. Even after Connor McDavid scored for Canada, Team USA fought back. Goals from Jake Guentzel and Dylan Larkin gave the U.S. the lead, and they held on to win.
Speaking after the game, Auston Matthews had clearly expressed his intentions concerning the tournament.
“We haven’t done anything yet. It’s only two games. Two big wins, but we’ve got a lot of work to do…,” Matthews said. “We’re here to compete. We’re here to win. We want to win this thing. That’s about it. The bottom line is we’re here to win.”
Now Team USA will face Canada in the finals at TD Garder in Boston on Thursday, Feb. 20.