The Maple Leafs' head coach Sheldon Keefe shared what he said to Auston Matthews last night in their emotional bench moment.
The Leafs lost 6-4 against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday night. It was especially a tough pill to swallow for Matthews, who failed to score his 70th goal.
When Matthews returned to the bench following a two-minutes shift in the offensive zone. With 34 seconds left in the third period, he seemed upset that he didn't score his 70th goal.
The coach didn't waste a second and talked to him for a few seconds in an emotional moment at the bench.
After the game, Sheldon Keefe revealed what he said to Matthews in that moment:
"Sheldon Keefe shared moment with Matthews at end of 3rd period; told him it was fitting what time the clock showed when he came off ice for the final time in the regular season
"34 seconds on the clock. Tells me there's more great things to come for Auston & our team""
Not everyone believes in numerology, but it looks like Keefe does. With the playoffs coming, Keefe's words show that he truly believes in his players, and thinks big things are coming for him and his team.