Auston Matthews shakes off the boos to send a message in USA’s win over Canada

Auston Matthews isn’t always the most vocal leader but he let his game do the talking in Team USA’s 3-1 victory over Canada on Saturday.

Matthews didn’t necessarily make an impact on the scoresheet, but he was excellent defensively while registering three hits as Team USA controlled 64 percent of the expected goals when he was on the ice in all situations, via Natural Stat Trick. It was a thrilling game, but it often lent itself to a cagey, defensive affair, where Team USA provided to be superior in counterattacking scenarios.

“Definitely wanted to come out and send a message right away,” Matthews said Sunday to TSN’s Mark Masters. “And those three guys stepping up like that, I mean, those guys are as hard as it gets when it comes to just playing the game hard and with an edge.”

Matthews was booed relentlessly by the Bell Centre crowd, doubling as the Toronto Maple Leafs and Team USA’s captain. It didn’t seem to bother any of the participants, particularly after an electric start to the game which saw three fights in nine seconds.

As a result of the victory, Team USA punched its ticket to the final and will play Team Sweden in a round robin game that is of no consequence, aside from bragging rights. Team Sweden, Team Canada and Team Finland are all sitting on two points, looking to find a pathway to Thursday’s final.

“We’re here to win,” Matthews said. “That’s about it. That’s the bottom line is we’re here to win.”

This is widely considered the most talented men’s team in American history and Matthews is at the forefront, with a prime opportunity to separate from his peers in the first best-on-best competition in nine years. At this rate, Team USA has been the superior team in this tournament and a clean sweep would help make a case to be considered as one of the greatest teams of all-time. For Matthews and company, they appear to be taking it one game at a time.