Going back to last season, many were wondering when Toronto Maple Leafs star centre Auston Matthews would pop off as the dynamic goal scorer that he was in 2023-24 when he scored 69 goals. It felt like Matthews wasn’t his usual, dangerous self, struggling at times and the bounces not going his way at multiple points this season. The team definitely needed more from their captain and lately they’re starting to see it now that the calendar has flipped to 2026.
Three days in, he has been a whole new player and has resurged as one of the dangerous goal scorers in the league while claiming history, surpassing Mats Sundin for most goals in franchise history. It’s clear that the fans wanted the real Matthews to step up and he has answered as he’s back and more dangerous than ever.
Slow First Quarter Behind Matthews?
It wasn’t ideal that Matthews having a slow start was on a long list of things that resulted in their worst record in the first three months of the Matthews-era. He is definitely one of many that needed a new start to the new year as he dealt with another injury that fans became concerned about and the production was down. Right now, he’s delivering as he has been absolutely dominant.
With five goals in his last two games and six in his last four, Matthews isn’t on-pace for 50 or even 60 goals, given the slow production and missed time injury-wise. However, it has ticked up to a 43-goal season which usually is a cake-walk for him, as he has hit that mark six times already in his 10-year career. After his hat-trick against the Winnipeg Jets where he put the team on his back and before his franchise-breaking moment, Mike Kelly posted some stats on Mathews’ play comparing his previous 10 games to his last three.
Everything saw a dramatic increase, but aside from the goals, the huge increase in the amount of slot shots is what stands out as he does his damage in the mid to high danger range. He’s in the 98th and 96th percentile respectively in both categories. Matthews thrives in that area when he finds the open ice and uses that shot of his to his advantage. Be it the wrist shot or his powerful one-timer, seeing him score and start to find the back of the net consistently again is a positive sign that he is turning things around.
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There were moments this season where it looked that was the case, but that was then seen with a cold streak. That’s when the inconsistent play crept back into his game and the criticism in his fall-off became a talking point where everyone wanted to see more from him. Now that he appears to be turning a new page, Matthews is leading the team on the ice when they need him the most.
What Has Changed in Matthews’ Game?
Many wondered when the Matthews of the past would finally return to his dominant self. Ever since the Maple Leafs came back from the Christmas break, Matthews has been on another level. Especially against the Jets and New York Islanders where it was vintage performances from the captain as he carried the team on his back.
Since December 27th, Matthews is second in goals with six and fourth in points with 10, seven of which coming at even strength. He has 25 shots on goal and a shooting percentage of 24%. Before that, he only had a 12.2 S% on 123 shots. With the change in numbers and being at the top of the standings the last couple of weeks, you can definitely notice a difference in Matthews’ play overall.
For one, his shots are going in and the power behind it appears to be back to normal form. He’s finding those open spaces more easily to get into those prime scoring chances and opportunities. Everything seems natural and nothing is being forced or looks like he was fighting just to get there. His line mates of Bobby McMann and Max Domi have shown great chemistry and they’re finding him so he can do what he does best. Now that Matthews appears to be finally healthy, everyone is witnessing what he can do when he’s operating at 100 per cent.
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In addition, there appears to be more urgency, drive and speed to his game. He’s skating better as his mobility and movement appears to have found another gear. On his franchise record tying goal, Matthews had a great burst of speed through the neutral zone and as he enters the offensive zone, he quickly gets to the outside of Scott Mayfield, has great positioning to protect the puck and attack the net for the goal.
That kind of skating and intent to attack defenders head on was what was missing all season. Now that the speed element is back to his game on top of his shot, Matthews is back to be being one of the dangerous players on the ice and teams are going to have a hard time defending him now that he has found his game.
If this continues, the goals and points will continue to rise.
Statistics from NHL and NHL EDGE.
