Auston Matthews scores twice as U.S. rebounds to defeat Belarus at worlds
Center Auston Matthews’ many talents also include the ability to perfectly play his part in an entertaining NHL story line.
On Friday, No. 2 ranked NHL draft prospect Patrik Laine registered two memorable goals and an assist to help Finland down Belarus 6-2 at the world championships in Russia. On Saturday, Matthews scored a pair of skillful goals to power USA to a 6-3 win against Belurus.
“I haven’t looked on Twitter, but I’m sure fans are eating this up,” USA center Dylan Larkin told Paste BN Sports, via cell phone, from St. Petersburg, Russia.
The Toronto Maple Leafs own the No. 1 draft pick, and Arizona-native Matthews is expected to be their choice. The Winnipeg Jets would then take winger Laine second overall.
“(Matthews) is a horse out there,” said Larkin, a Detroit Red Wings forward who had a goal and an assist against Belarus. “You can’t get him off the puck. And he has unbelievable hands. It is pretty cool to see what Laine did and then Auston to respond.”
Both of Matthews’ goals were NHL-style beauties. His first was a quick-release, seeing-eye shot high into the net and the second was one from the high slot.
Matthews, 18, didn’t score in USA’s first game against Canada, a 5-1 loss, but he was noticeable.
“I’ve been through the draft, and I know it’s real hard,” said Larkin, the 15th overall pick in the 2014 draft. “But he’s a humble kid and he’s handled it well.”Matthews has said he is concentrating on helping USA win, and he isn't worrying about his draft status. But it will be challenging to do that with the talk on social media about the Matthews vs. Laine comparison.“He was one of my most competitive players,” said USA coach John Hynes, also the New Jersey Devils’ coach. “Even though he didn’t have a point against Canada, he competed on the puck and played a 200-foot game.”
Matthews and Laine will be in the same game Monday when USA plays Finland.
“We had a real strong focus on trying to get better utilizing our speed and our structure,” Hynes said. “We have a young team with a lot of speed, character and skill. We are still working through the process of understanding how well you need to play without the puck.”Noah Hanifin (Carolina Hurricanes), Chris Wideman (Ottawa Senators) and Miles Wood ( Devils) also scored for USA.The Americans played a better all-around game against Belarus than they did against Canada.