A comparison of Auston Matthews in 2021-22 vs. 2022-23 shows some staggering differences
Auston Matthews had what many considered a down season last year after only scoring 40 goals and failing to crack 90 points a year after breaking the 100-point threshold. Matthews confirmed late in the season that he had been playing with a nagging injury and/or injuries, which explains why he had been missing chances he would normally score on.
Everyone knew that Matthews had a shooting percentage well below his career average last season, but there were a couple of other stat categories in which he saw a dip as well. Compared to the season prior, Matthews dropped from 8.22 shot attempts per game (2nd) to 7.91 attempts per game (5th). It's not surprising, given this information, that his shot attempts per game dropped as well, as did his goals per 60 minutes, from 2.25 (1st) in 2021-22 to 1.8 (11th) last season. With his shot attempts and goals per 60 dropping last season, it also sent his shooting percentage and goals vs expected goals plummeting from 17.2% (38th) to 12.2% (167th) and 18.26 (1st) to 3.28 (142nd).
It wasn't all bad for Matthews statistically wise however, as he increased his per game stats in scoring chances, shot attempts from the slot shot attempts off the rush and one-timers. So Matthews was trying different things to score, he just ran into some very bad puck luck coupled with his nagging injury/injuries.
After an off-season that was dedicated to training and no recovery from surgery, Matthews should be back to his usual self come the start of this season. Hopefully he signs before training camp and he can avoid any significant distractions this season.
| POLL | ||
AOUT 20 | 526 ANSWERS A comparison of Auston Matthews in 2021-22 vs. 2022-23 shows some staggering differences Will Auston Matthews break 100 points in 2023-24? | ||
| Yes | 351 | 66.7 % |
| No | 175 | 33.3 % |
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