Maple Leafs’ Matthews Bounce Back is Due to Two Key Factors

The Toronto Maple Leafs are six games into their season and while there are plenty of things to be excited for; one thing that fans should be elated about is the play of captain Auston Matthews. 

Coming into the season, many were hoping that Matthews could have a rebound after two very sub-par seasons that weren’t to his standards. During an interview before the preseason started, Matthews said that this was the best that he has felt in some time, health-wise. 

Early on this season, Matthews definitely looks healthy and as a result, he looks to once again be a major offensive and shooting threat. He truly has looked better compared to the last few seasons for multiple reasons.

New Linemates Clicking

If there’s any reason to believe that Matthews is back, just look at the overall player stats. He currently sits tied for sixth overall with Nathan MacKinnon in points with 10, seven of which have been at even strength. At five-on-five, he’s second in even strength primary assists to Connor McDavid and his 18 individual scoring chances for has him fifth overall.

It’s early on, but the underlying numbers show that Matthews is once again a premiere player in the league. While he appears to be back to form, it’s more so a result of the players around him that are having an impact along with the system. Playing one where they can strike quickly off the rush, cycle effectively and do so as a unit where everyone is on the same page, that is a big reason for his success.

Many were wondering who would be with Matthews on the top line as there were a number of offseason changes. Bringing in Jack Roslovic and trading for Kirill Marchenko seems to be working as this line is always dominating offensive zone time while they’re on the ice. Despite being formed and with a small sample, the chemistry is there and they’re getting the results. 

With a minimum of 40 minutes played, the Marchenko- Matthews- Roslovic line has an expected goals percentage of 68.3% and a Corsi for percentage of 61.7%. While they don’t have the goals to show for it, they’re getting their chances and opportunities, it’ll only be a matter of time before the conversion starts.

Having that added speed and skill of both Marchenko and Roslovic surrounding him, is something that he really hasn’t had as of late. The fact that he knows he has players that can help him out and even he can reciprocate that to help them be successful as well, puts himself and the line in a great spot to continue to do some damage. 

One Difference in Matthews’ Game

While the underlying numbers and offensive stats are great to see, there really is one area that Matthews has shined in that isn’t being talked about enough. No, it’s not his skating.

It’s been his ability to fully utilize his size to shield the puck along the boards and win battles.

I don’t think we’ve ever seen Matthews be this engaging and dominant in this aspect previously. He’s not just waiting for a scoring opportunity in the open areas, he’s battling and forcing his way to get there and even putting his linemates in those spots. The way that he’s able to use his strength and fend players off has been impressive and there were two goals that he setup against the Nashville Predators that really caught my eye. 

On Gavin McKenna’s first NHL goal, the puck is kept in by a great play from Roslovic and the puck finds Matthews in the corner. With Steven Stamkos all over him, he shoves him off like it was nothing, manages to still win the battle, maintain possession and spots McKenna for his goal. While an impressive shot from McKenna, seeing this kind of engagement from Matthews to outmuscle his opponent is showing a different side of him.

While this isn’t a dominating play like the previous clip, it still shows Matthews’ vision and quick reaction time to make a play in a tight spot. It’s Willaim Nylander working along the boards and eventually finds Matthews. With two defenders on him already, Matthews makes a quick and accurate feather pass to Roslovic. It’s as if Matthews knew Roslovic was already there and he buries it for the tying goal.

The combination of his strength in physical play, the playmaking vision and quick reaction timing, are all elements that Matthews had, but now, it has fully come together. This is a level that we haven’t seen with Matthews. It’s a new version and probably better than the season where he scored 69 goals and had 107 points.

The real Matthews is back and everyone can’t wait for what he does next.

Statistics from Natural Stat Trick and Money Puck