Auston Matthews speaks with the media after his worst playoff performance as a Leaf
All things considered, Auston Matthews has had a very successful 2022-23 post-season run as he had recorded at least a point in each of his first 8 games. He finished the first round against the Tampa Bay Lightning with 5 goals and 4 assists, including goals in each of the final 4 games of the series. He also recorded an assist in Game 1 and 2 against the Florida Panthers, which put him at a grand total of 5 goals and 6 assists through the first 8 games.
The Toronto Maple Leafs disappointingly dropped their first 2 games on home-ice against the surprisingly scrappy and aggressive Florida Panthers. They played very well but were stymied by the brick-wall goaltending of Sergei Bobrovsky - similar to how the Lightning fared against Ilya Samsonov between Games 2 and 6.
It wasn't a good sign that none of the top-4 players in Matthews, Mitch Marner, John Tavares, and William Nylander had scored a goal in the first 2 games but it only got worse when they looked visibly awful in Game 3 and didn't tilt the ice the way they're being paid to tilt the ice.
Matthews and Marner were on the ice for 18 scoring chances against while on even strength. The 4 top dogs combined for only 7 shots on goal and it was the depth players who had to get the team on the board and try to rescue the series.
Matthews did start the game with a snap-shot that rang off the post, only 18 seconds in, however that was all she wrote for the reigning-MVP, as he disappeared the rest of the way. Now on the brink of elimination and trying to become just the 5th team in NHL history to overcome an 0-3 deficit, Matthews doesn't want to look at the negatives:
"I feel like we've had good chances, a couple of posts, things just aren't falling. We don't want to get discouraged. (But) we're in a tough spot, it's do or die now.»
That's one way to look at how Game 3 went, but it might only become tougher with Ilya Samsonov's health status up in the air after he was forced to leave the game with injury, and somehow the Leafs weren't able to draw a power play in tonight's game for the first time in franchise history.
Matthews and company have to come out firing with a sweep on the line heading into Wednesday. Otherwise all the hype that came from their first round victory against the Lightning may have been undeserved as many had pegged this as a more favourable series for the Buds than facing off against the big, bad Boston Bruins.
Previously on MapleLeafsDaily
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MAI 8 | 1340 ANSWERS Auston Matthews speaks with the media after his worst playoff performance as a Leaf Will Matthews and the Leafs win Game 4? | ||
| No | 585 | 43.7 % |
| Yes | 755 | 56.3 % |
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