It was a rough slide for the Toronto Maple Leafs following the 4 Nations Face-Off. The team couldn’t seem to get back on track and went on a slide of no regulation wins over a seven-game span – which could ultimately affect the standings if there were to be a tie to close out the season.
Following the run, the Maple Leafs were on the verge of dropping outside the top-three in the Atlantic Division and panic was starting to set in for some in Leafs Nation. So, captain Auston Matthews stepped in. The team held a meeting in which head coach Craig Berube said players spoke up in an attempt to get the team to snap out of a three-game slide ahead of their matchup in Utah earlier this month.
While Berube didn’t want to elaborate on what was said at the meeting, Matthews gave a little more insight, albeit not much. He left that for what he did on the ice following that day.
Matthews’ Speaking Done on the Ice
During the 4 Nations Face-Off, American head coach Mike Sullivan noted that Matthews is a quiet leader that leads by example. While it would be something to be a fly on the wall during the Maple Leafs’ meeting, Matthews is clearly someone who is respected organizationally. As for what he does on the ice, he sets the tone more often than not.
When it comes to the meeting, Matthews did express that the team needed a reset: “Just resetting as a group, taking a deep breath. The results over the last couple of games haven’t been good, but I think as well our game maybe hasn’t been trending in the right direction.” (Maple Leafs hold meeting, ‘trying to get (skid) straightened out, Terry Koshan, Toronto Sun)
After he went pointless in the two games following the meeting – losses to Utah Hockey Club and the Florida Panthers – Matthews has been on a tear helping turn the Maple Leafs’ fortunes around. In the last five games, he has four goals and seven points while the team has won three of the last five.
While he has missed a bunch of time this season, having played just 55 of the team’s 70 games, Matthews still sits third on the team in points with 27 goals and 63 points. But it’s his 200-foot game, his ability to play in all situations and the intangibles that continue to make him such a good leader on the ice.
Matthews’ Intangibles Speak Volumes
Sure, it might not come this season based solely on missed time due to injuries, but Matthews might be one of the best 200-foot players when he’s playing at 100 percent.
He’s second on the Maple Leafs in average ice-time this season behind only Mitch Marner. He’s sixth on the team in blocked shots with 68 – the most of any forward – and you can sprinkle in 35 hits this season for a guy who’s played hurt. He’s also third on the team in takeaways behind Marner and Oliver Ekman-Larsson. But what does all of this mean?
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While the 69 goals last season was fun to watch, the Maple Leafs’ problem during their losing stretch wasn’t lack of scoring. It was their inability to transition their game and their play within their own end. They weren’t clearing pucks. They were giving up high-danger opportunities and struggling to play defensively as a team.
Once again, along with others, Matthews has led by example over the last three to five games. His willingness to block shots as one of the star players on this team has created better transition out of their own end and, in turn, opportunities off the rush. In fact, a 200-foot player that scores 30 goals might be what the doctor ordered for the Maple Leafs heading into the playoffs.
Matthews Has an Appetite to Win
On Saturday, the Maple Leafs suffered their second loss in the last five games, this time at the hands of the Nashville Predators. Matthews finished with two assists, including a face-off win that Marner rifled home following the win. When Matthews was asked about the designed play following the 5-2 loss, he kept it short and not-so-sweet.
“(Ryan O’Reilly) is good in the dot. He’s strong. So, I had to draw inside. I just tried to time it quick and make sure that (Marner) knew that I was trying to come to him an ended up working out. In the end, we lost. So, who cares?”
It’s not a slight to the reporters, rather a reaction to an unwanted outcome. After all, Matthews has been a member of the Maple Leafs now for nine seasons. He’s on the verge of playing in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the ninth time in nine seasons and, yet, he’s only been out of the first-round one time. This is the response of a frustrated leader who, thankfully for Leafs Nation, is frustrated with a loss even in the middle of March.
It’s simple. Matthews wants to win. Even Stevens saw this in the Maple Leafs’ captain during his short run behind the bench with him.
“He knows what winning hockey is all about,” said Stevens regarding Matthews’ drive. “I could tell early on he has an appetite to win and he knows what it takes.”
So while his leadership might not be on full display for fans – given that there are no cameras behind closed doors – his ability to lead by example makes it pretty clear that Matthews doesn’t want to accept mediocrity this time around. As Berube said, he talked and then he walked and it shouldn’t stop come playoff time.
