Earlier this week, Toronto's Auston Matthews called on his teammates to be better, as the Maple Leafs lost to the Bruins and dropped below .500 (5-4-2).
"It's just not good enough," Matthews told TSN's Mark Masters on Tuesday. "We need to be better and I think it comes from the leadership group. I need to be better. All of us need to be better. We just need to look each other in the eye and hold each other accountable. It's just been the same thing kind of over and over for us," Matthews said.
Matthews has explained his reasoning behind calling out his teammates in an interview with TSN's Kristen Shilton, saying sometimes you have to get angry with "your family".
"We're a family here, but sometimes you gotta yell at your family,” Matthews said. “[Communication] is something that we can do a better job of and I think it's something that we are doing a better job of.”
Matthews added he was frustrated after failing to get a victory.
“You don't want to lose; I hate losing,” said Matthews. “So you're frustrated, but it's still early. We've still got new guys and we're still trying to mesh as a team and come together. But when we look around at the guys that we have, I think we expect more out of each other. So that's just holding one another accountable, putting the past in the past, and putting our best foot forward.”
Matthews also took the opportunity to put some of the blame on himself.
“Just defensively [I can be better] and all areas,” he said. “I have to put the puck in the back of the net, create on offence, but it starts in the D-zone and I think that's an area that we've been trying to work on lately, especially today [at practice], so I've got to be better in that area moving forward.”
The Leafs will have a chance to get back in the win column Friday night as they take on former teammate Patrick Marleau and the San Jose Sharks.
Source: TSN.ca
