Auston Matthews was criticized for a slow start, but his last 10 games tell a much more convincing story
Auston Matthews was criticized for his ''slow start'' compared to his regular standard, but since the beginning of November, he has been on fire. With 37 points in 32 games now, Matthews has registered 29 points, including 13 goals since November.
Initially, many of those points came on special teams, before Matthews went on a mini-streak where he scored at 5-on-5 in 5 straight games. Over his last 10 games, Matthews has climbed back to the top of the leaderboard for the Leafs in terms of 5-on-5 production. He leads the Leafs in goals with 6, assists with 9 and points with 15 over that time.
Earlier this season, Chris Johnston reported that Matthews may have been playing through nagging injuries, which kind of made sense given his "slow start", but I'm not convinced that to be the case - at least not entirely. Personally, I believe he was trying to do too much physically and sometimes taking himself out of a play or causing himself to be a half-second or second late in reacting to plays because he wanted to finish his check. Regardless, Matthews has finally caught fire and is back on pace for 50+ goals and, potentially, a third straight Rocket Richard Trophy.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 18 | 258 ANSWERS Auston Matthews was criticized for a slow start, but his last 10 games tell a much more convincing story Is Auston Matthews still the best player in Toronto? | ||
| Yes | 186 | 72.1 % |
| No, but it's close | 72 | 27.9 % |
| List of polls | ||
