Toronto Maple Leafs franchise super star Auston Matthews had himself a game to remember in Game 2 against the Boston Bruins. He was in on every goal, assisting on two and scoring the eventual game-winner off a highlight reel, mid-air pass from Max Domi. It was that moment, when they needed their best player to have a memorable game, he stepped up.
Many are waiting for that moment to happen with Mitch Marner. During the regular season, he’s a powerhouse as one of the top playmaking wingers in the league. He has 639 points in 576 games played with a 1.11 point per game average and is an absolute threat at five-on-five. However, his play in the postseason hasn’t quite matched what he has been able to accomplish in the regular season.
After a slow start to the series, Marner had a better Game 3 where he had a great assist on Matthew Knies’ goal and started to get going after that. Marner didn’t have the best first period, but he seemed to have found his game and get more energy in the second period. In the third, he had his moments but nothing that really stood out to try and turn the tide when the Maple Leafs needed a goal late in the game.
While it was a better effort, he needs to continue finding a consistent effort in order to be a game changer when it matters.
Marner’s Production Not Eye Popping
In his first two seasons in the playoffs, Marner was fairly productive in the postseason, tallying 13 points in 13 games. It looked like this was going to be someone who can take the next step in his game and be a player that can potentially take control as a result of his skill and ability to produce. However, in the 2018-19 playoffs, that’s when his production and overall play started to take a turn.
In the final season of his entry-level contract, Marner finished with four points in seven games, which isn’t ideal considering what he did before. His numbers afterwards show the average production when it came to the playoffs.
| Season | Opponent(s) | Games, Points | P/G |
| 2019-20 | Columbus Blue Jackets | 5 GP, 4 Pts | 0.80 |
| 2020-21 | Montreal Canadiens | 7 GP, 4 Pts | 0.57 |
| 2021-22 | Tampa Bay Lightning | 7 GP, 8 Pts | 1.14 |
| 2022-23 | TBL/ Florida Panthers | 11 GP, 14 Pts | 0.78 |
| 2023-24 | Boston Bruins | 3 GP, 1 Pt | 0.33 |
Combined, Marner has 48 points in 53 games, which– considering how early the Maple Leafs lost a series– is pretty decent. However, there was only one time in the last five postseasons where he was above a point per game. His underlying numbers are pretty strong as well, but at times, it doesn’t quite matchup with the eye test as he really hasn’t been a true playoff performer.
So far, he has yet to have a moment that stands out where he’s the sole reason for putting the team on his back and carrying them to a win. Other members of the core have had their moment, but Marner remains without one, be it a game changing moment or in an elimination game to push his team forward.
John Tavares had his series clinching goal against the Lightning, Matthews had Game 2 and scored key goals against the Lightning in 2023, William Nylander has been a clutch performer lately and was their best player in their series against the Florida Panthers. Marner in this series would have glimpses here and there but a player of his calibre needs to find another gear.
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He had a slow start to Game 3 and he looked better, but he still needs to find his game and take charge like everyone knows he can.
Marner Criticism Grows, Despite Better Game
The Maple Leafs’ stars have garnered a lot of criticism in the postseason. More so Marner, and it’s warranted given how he’s making close to $11 million and shows up at times and at others, he isn’t living up to expectations. As a star player, he has to elevate his play and find that high end level of consistency.
When he’s on his game he’s one of the best, but a lack of intensity, physicality and backing away from certain plays isn’t what you want to do when players on the other teams are elevating their game to another level. Head coach Sheldon Keefe defended Marner and his line going up against tough competition and that their time will come.
Good on Keefe to say that as containing David Pastrnak is no easy task and Marner has played well defensively in this series to do his best and shut down one of the Bruins’ top players. However, he did both against the Lightning in the playoffs last year, being a strong defensive presence, but still producing and generating offense. He can’t lose that mindset as when he’s in the zone and being a consistent offensive threat, he’s tough to stop.
Although he had a better game and generated more offense, there were some moments that really didn’t sit well. His decisions with the puck were off at times and there was a failed clearing attempt when he tried to fly by and swipe at the puck. Then there was an instance where he gave up on a play in the process in Game 2 which didn’t sit well with many.
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Plays and situations like that are why he’s getting the criticism in games when it maters the most. It’s up to him to turn things around and play with confidence and strength like he has shown in the past.
Marner Needs to Be Engaged
When facing teams that can play a hard style hockey, Marner can be ineffective at times and can’t play his puck possession game. Going back to the series against the Panthers, there were moments where he would have possession of the puck and essentially panic under pressure and wouldn’t handle the physical play well.
If Marner wants to find success in the playoffs, he’s going to have to get to the dirty areas and battle hard for possession. He needs to play with a sense of urgency and be engaged constantly in the play, much like rest of the opposition that goes up and plays hard against him.
He can’t be making the fancy plays all the time and instead needs to simplify things instead of over complicating them. Game 3 was a small step in the right direction, but he needs to show it more as things look tough for the team, being down 2-1 in the series. Marner has to raise his level of play and be a difference maker.
Statistics from Hockey Reference.