Auston Matthews, Sheldon Keefe comment on 34's pair of goals, reunion with Mitch Marner
As the Leafs played in their first of a four-game road trip last night against the Seattle Kraken, Toronto's top center Auston Matthews was looking to find the back of the net for the first time since the Ryan O'Reilly trade.
Since arriving in Toronto, O'Reilly has been slotted up the middle between John Tavares and William Nylander on the second line whilst in the spotlight. On the other hand, Matthews was in a minor slump with just two assists since O'Reilly's arrival in the past four games.
Head coach Sheldon Keefe adjusted last night and put Mitch Marner back on the Matthews line in hopes of rejuvenating his scoring touch. Well, it is safe to say the adjustment was a success, as the back-to-back Rocket Richard trophy winner potted two goals in the team's 5-1 victory yesterday.
"Great to see. Obviously, that's the intent when you make the change. And you're thrilled to see it come together like that, in terms of how they score, in terms of the jump Auston had here tonight, being all around the net and all around the puck," Keefe said.
In year's previous, we have seen Matthews go through slumps where his nose is always around the net generating tons of chances that don't seem to fall. But at the end of the day, he is bound to capitalize at some point and is capable of getting hot at any point in the season. As he doubled down last night, hopefully, this will ignite him for the remainder of the season and into the postseason.
"It always feels good to see it go in. I mean, I can't lie," Matthews said. "You see it go in, I think you just get a little extra pep in your step."
With the postseason in sight, Keefe seems to be working through adjustments to create the most effective and efficient top-six configurations going forward. Although it's unclear as of now in the direction Keefe will settle on with his forward group, getting Matthews going at the right time is critical to the team's success down the road. Players of the caliber of Matthews, you cannot stop, you can only contain them. If Keefe can continue to make the stars align before round one, the Leafs will be a dangerous matchup for whoever meets them in the first round.
| POLL | ||
FEVRIER 27 | 255 ANSWERS Auston Matthews, Sheldon Keefe comment on 34's pair of goals, reunion with Mitch Marner Will Auston Matthews get back to his scoring ways after his two goal performance last night? | ||
| Yes, he will get hot at the right time | 178 | 69.8 % |
| No, not quite | 41 | 16.1 % |
| He's getting hot! | 36 | 14.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
