The Toronto Maple Leafs’ warmup certainly had a different feel to it when they hosted the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday. Auston Matthews is always the last player to leave the ice, but usually Mitch Marner is right there behind him until the very end. However, this time with about a minute to go, Matthews was all by himself. But that wasn’t even the most unique part about it. During the session, Matthews put a collection of pucks together to make a smiley face, something the Leafs shared on their X account. Matthews was asked about the significance of the move. “Yeah, I don't know. I mean, I had a little extra time, so yeah, I just threw a couple more pucks in there and yeah, a lot of extra time there just sitting, waiting around,” Matthews said. “ I mean, it's pre-season, so we're getting the warmups and everything kind of dialed back in as well. It's not just on the ice, so yeah.” Matthews didn’t reveal that much, but Marner used to write the smiley face on his gloves earlier in his Leafs tenure. Perhaps it was some sort of ode to the former Leaf and Vegas Golden Knights forward. Either way, it’s not surprising that Matthews didn’t elaborate much more than that. He has wanted the topic of Marner to come to an end, putting a deadline of the regular season before questions about his former teammate come to an end. 'You've Got Two More Weeks': Auston Matthews Puts A Deadline On Questions About Former Maple Leafs Teammate Mitch Marner [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/f4e70aeb-d0b1-4ba7-a1ad-b8612970290a.jpeg] 'You've Got Two More Weeks': Auston Matthews Puts A Deadline On Questions About Former Maple Leafs Teammate Mitch Marner Toronto Maple Leafs star <a target="_blank" href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/latest-news/health-is-good-auston-matthews-provides-positive-update-before-maple-leafs-training-camp">Auston Matthews</a> has put a timeline on when questions about <a target="_blank" href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/latest-news/mitch-marner-reveals-intense-backlash-and-had-full-time-security-at-his-home-following-maple-leafs-2025-playoff-exit">Mitch Marner</a> need to stop. During his media availability on Sunday, Matthews was asked about the pre-game routine in which both he and Marner would be the last players on the ice during warmups. [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/latest-news/you-ve-got-two-more-weeks-auston-matthews-puts-a-deadline-on-questions-about-former-maple-leafs-teammate-mitch-marner] Matthews scored a goal in the club’s 3-2 overtime loss to the Senators. He spoke about how the game was used mostly to just shake the cobwebs off but also how that he felt great, which is good to see given a year that saw the player battle the entire 2024-25 campaign with an upper-body injury. --- Q: I'm sure there's some obvious things that we could all point to, but what did something or someone maybe catch your eye in there tonight that maybe surprised you? MATTHEWS: I mean, I thought a lot of guys had solid efforts tonight. I thought Cowboy played really well. I thought he was in the mix a lot, made some good plays, was responsible on both sides of the puck. Haymes I thought was pretty good. I mean, he's a really steady player. I think he's really smart. I thought the other guys played well. Danny (Ben Danford), you know, you don't notice him as much back there in as good as a possible way. I think he makes solid plays. He's a big body. And I thought him and O (Oliver Ekman-Larsson) complement each other pretty well back there. So I think that's a pretty well tonight Q: It seemed like Maccelli fit into your mind really well. What was it like playing with him in the game tonight? MATTHEWS: Yeah, it was good. I mean, I think, you know, just tried to feed off each other a little bit. A lot of communication on and off the ice, on the bench. But, I mean, he's a really shifty player. He's slippery out there, and he obviously has really good vision. But I thought we communicated well, and he created some good offensive chances. You know, I think as a team, obviously, you know, especially the second half of the game, you can take better care of the puck. But, again, I mean, that's getting the summer hockey habits kind of out of your system and, you know, just trying to get rid of those as soon as possible. Q: But you like to feel, just you mentioned, you know, you're doing all these scrimmages. Is this like a real game after once? How did it feel to just get back? MATTHEWS: Yeah, it felt good. It felt good to get back in a setting like this and compete, you know, not against each other. And, you know, fun to be with the guys again, get out there and just try to have some fun. Like I said, just shake out the cobwebs a little bit, get back in the rhythm of playing, you know, the right way. And, you know, it was fun to get out there against them. Q: What did you make of Dennis Hildeby’s performance? MATTHEWS: I thought Dennis was great tonight. He made some big saves, some really big saves. He was steady. He just looked really confident and calm and poised in the net. I thought he was great. Q: Yourself physically Auston. There were a couple of one-timers there off in the power play and looked like the old Auston, if you will? MATTHEWS: Yeah, it felt good. It felt good. I would like to not block two pucks in the shins, but it is what it is. It'll be fine. But, yeah, I mean, physically felt really good. And, you know, good kind of first game to build off of. and a lot of things that we can do better, but a good start, I guess. 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