Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner got to represent the United States and Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off in what proved to be one of the greatest tournaments ever.
After a phenomenal final game last Thursday, the two Toronto Maple Leafs forwards were tasked with returning to their team for a harsh weekend back-to-back against the Chicago Blackhawks and the Carolina Hurricanes.
In those two games, Matthews and Marner were productive, however, it was clear that they were missing a step and had been slowed down by the grueling schedule of the 4 Nations.
According to reporter Mark Masters, head coach Craig Berube admitted as such and certainly raised some red flags about their conditioning.
In fact, you should not be surprised if you see Matthews or Marner get scratched during this upcoming stretch.
Last night, Mitch Marner had himself an incredible game against the Boston Bruins with a rare two-goal performance.
One of those goals was the overtime winner, something he did while playing with Team Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off.
It was also one of those rare times when the Maple Leafs were the team completing a comeback instead of giving up a huge lead. It seems like their play under Craig Berube is different and they may just be on track for a curse-breaking season.
However, last night did come with some negatives as players like Chris Tanev and William Nylander were reportedly injured.
The Tanev injury seems to be a lot more severe right now, and if you are a Maple Leafs fan, you cannot help but be a bit worried.
Having said that, the Leafs are on a three-game winning streak and will play the New York Rangers on Friday.
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