Auston Matthews has flipped the script for both himself and the Leafs
When The Toronto Maple Leafs announced that Auston Matthews was having off season surgery on his wrist, Leafs fans worried that his trademark shot would suffer for it. When Matthews missed the first 3 games of the season, then scored just 1 goal in his first 6 games, there appeared to be some cause for concern.
The 2016 first overall pick has been the Leafs' best player since he entered the league. As he goes, the Leafs go. It's no coincidence that Matthews' slow start to the season coincided with a subpar start for the Leafs. His struggles in the 2021 playoff series against the Habs is further evidence of that.
When the calendar flipped to November however, Matthews and the Leafs caught fire. Since the start of November no team in the NHL has been able to keep up, and no player in the NHL has scored as many goals as Auston Matthews' 20 in 21 games.
The Leafs have now clawed their way to the top of the NHL standing and Matthews, down as many as 8 goals at one point in the Rocket race, has narrowed the gap to just 3. He sits third in scoring behind power play merchant Leon Draisaitl and the apparently ageless Alex Ovechkin.
What's interesting about Matthews' most recent scoring spree is that he isn't just relying on that lethal wrister, or power play one timers. He doesn't even have his go-to setup man in Mitch Marner at the moment, thanks to a shoulder injury. Matthews has been doing a much better job of getting to the front of the net and using his size to stay there long enough to get a tip or rebound. Playoff-style goals.
The discourse in the off season was that Matthews, and by extension, Marner, weren't able to score in the playoffs. With Matthews scoring the type of goals he has been, it looks like he's adjusting his game to be more effective in the post season. If he is able to take this level of production into the post season, we may finally see the Leafs make a run in the playoffs.
