Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews didn't see the home crowd reaction he would have liked when teammate Ryan Reaves fought Mathieu Olivier on Wednesday night.
“You love to see that,” Matthews said of the fight after his team's 5-1 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. “I would’ve liked a little more energy from the crowd after that. I thought it was a little quiet tonight, especially after two guys like that go at it.”
Auston Matthews on Reaves-Olivier fight:
— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) January 23, 2025
"Love to see that. Would’ve liked a little more energy from the crowd after that. It was a little quiet tonight especially after two guys like that go at it. But it was a great moment for him. I thought gave us some energy on the bench." https://t.co/TefmHADZeN
The 38-year-old Reaves fought Olivier in an extended bout that saw both players land blows less than two minutes into the first period.
Matthews scored the only Toronto goal on the night, his 20th of the season. Adam Fantilli scored a hat trick to lead Columbus to the win.
