Auston Matthews' Immediate Reaction to 'Gutsy' Maple Leafs Win

The Toronto Maple Leafs extended their season Friday night with a 2-0 shutout win over the Florida Panthers in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Second Round.

For team captain Auston Matthews, who broke a scoreless deadlock with 13:40 left in regulation and scored his first goal of the series, the performance was summed up in one word.

“Gutsy,” Matthews said in his immediate postgame interview with Sportsnet’s Kyle Bukauskas. “Just a gutsy, gutsy win all around. I thought we just battled hard all three periods. It took till midway through the third to break through.

”But I just thought all throughout our lineup, everybody played hard, everybody competed.”

After failing to score in the prior five games against Florida, this was Matthews' third career goal in an elimination game and a moment he acknowledged was fueled by weeks of frustration.

“It felt great,” Matthews said. “I’ve had some good opportunities all series, and so I’m going to keep shooting and keep believing that the next one’s going in. So, that one felt great.”

Max Pacioretty doubled the Leafs' lead just over seven minutes later while Joseph Woll stopped all 22 Florida shots for his first career playoff shutout. Matthews said Woll’s calm presence was a big factor.

Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews (34) talks with Oliver Ekman-Larsson (95), Morgan Rielly (44), Matthew Knies (23) and Mitch Marner (16) against the Panthers.

Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Toronto had allowed 13 goals over the previous three games, all of them losses, but put the clamps on the Panthers when it mattered most and will fight for a place in the Eastern Conference finals this weekend.

Game 7 between Toronto and Florida is set for Sunday at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, with puck drop scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.