Matthews has a lot to prove at the Olympics. Getting on the scoresheet helped.
Auston Matthews is an Olympic goal scorer.
The Toronto Maple Leafs captain scored a goal in helping Team USA defeat Team Latvia 5-1 in both countries' respective opening games at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan. Matthews capped the Americans' scoring with the only goal of the third period, a goal that effectively put away a hard challenge from a Latvian team that twice successfully challenged American goals.
"This is just such a special opportunity. It still feels pretty surreal to be here and be able to compete and put on this jersey and play with this group of guys," Matthews told TSN's Mark Masters after the game. "It's a great start for us in this tournament. We'll just look to build off it here".
The Latvians were physical, as seen by Latvian forward Dans Locmelis, who caught Matthews a bit high on a check and appeared to initially hurt the American captain.
"Yeah, it's fine. I mean, those things happen, you know, all the time," Matthews said of the hit. "You can't really complain about it. The ref maybe didn't see it. I was a little shaken up. But it felt fine. Just kept playing, and I just go from there".
In addition to his goal, Matthews finished with four shots on goal (tied with Matthew Tkachuk for the most in the game). He logged 15:44 of ice time and won 10 out of his 16 faceoffs. The win was big for the Americans, who jump out to a lead in Group 'C' action. Although level with Germany at three points, the goal differential for the Americans is larger. Matthews and the Americans will be back in action on Saturday against Denmark.
For Matthews, this is a critical chance for the star player to write a new chapter in his legacy. Although he captained the USA last year in the 4 Nations Face-Off, the team fell to Canada in a dramatic final. This is the first year that NHLers are back in the Olympics since the 2014 Games. For most players like Matthews, it's their first taste of the Olympic experience.
Meanwhile, Maple Leafs teammate William Nylander did not practice with Sweden one day after they defeated hosts Italy 5-2. Nylander has dealt with a nagging groin injury this season, and the country is being super cautious when it comes to the player's usage outside of game action. Sweden takes on Nordic rivals Finland on Friday.