Auston Matthews may or may not be able to play Game 6 for the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday. His “illness” is still very much a dark cloud hanging over the team with details and specifics unclear. But, the Leafs picked up a big win in Game 5 to send the series back to Toronto and they aren’t out of it yet.
Part of the reason the Leafs were able to secure the win, according to analysts Nick Kypreos and Justin Bourne, was because the Maple Leafs roster wasn’t shuffling the puck to Matthews on every play because, well, he’s Auston Matthews.
Related: Maple Leafs News & Rumors: Woll, Domi & Another Game Coming
During a segment on Sportsnet 590 The Fan, the two hosts got into a conversation about Matthews and how the rest of the roster typically defers to the best scorer in the NHL. Bourne said he thought the supporting cast played better in Game 5. He noted, “To me, it’s a passengers thing. We can’t just sit back and watch Auston do it, we need to be better.” Kypreos added, “What I saw was – for the first time in weeks – a team not trying to funnel the puck to 34.”
While both argued that Toronto is a better team with Matthews in the lineup, Kypreos wondered if not having Matthews there alleviated a lot of the pressure. The hint here being that when Matthews is in, all offense needs to run through him and poor hockey decisions are being made so that he can have the puck.
Kypreos pointed to the Matthews chase for 70 goals and how that had a negative effect on the team as the season closed. Matthews ultimately fell short with 69, but head coach Sheldon Keefe admitted that the team got caught up in the excitement. Bourne called it like a tractor beam in the final few games that carried over into the playoffs. He then argued that maybe it would best to reintroduce Matthews to the lineup when everyone learns “how to play hockey again.”
Is This a Catch-22 Situation for the Maple Leafs?
The idea of continuing on without Matthews in the playoffs and that being a winning formula for the Maple Leafs seems insane. He’s their best player, he’s the league’s best goal scorer and he’s a game-changer that can produce offense while the team is struggling to find it. Every day of the week and twice on Sunday you want him in, if he’s available.
At the same time, if what Bourne and Kypreos are saying is true, and the Leafs are deferring to Matthews way too often, the roster needs to find a way to make smarter decisions and not simply go along for the Matthews ride. No one player can win a hockey game for a team, and they certainly can’t win a series. Having Matthews miss a game might be the wake-up call the Maple Leafs need.
If it isn’t, and if they can’t do that while he’s in the lineup, the Leafs have a serious problem. Even if they stay alive against Boston, playing without Matthews will inevitably catch up to the team.