Keefe, Marner discuss the top line's lack of production at 5-on-5
Maple Leafs forwards Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews have just three combined 5v5 goals and seven combined 5v5 points so far this season. Matthews is ranked third among forwards in expected goals at 5-on-5, but Marner is near the bottom of the list, ranking 169th, well behind the likes of John Tavares, William Nylander, Calle Jarnkrok and even Matthew Knies.
Matthews has scored just one goal since his back-to-back hat tricks to start the season, and has not scored a 5-on-5 goal since game two against the Minnesota Wild and Marner has not been any better, recording just 2 goals on the season, with his only 5-on-5 goal coming against the Dallas Stars last week.
Last night against the LA Kings, the Leafs were dominated in all aspects of the game and struggled to generate any sustained offensive pressure or successive scoring chances leading to an eventual 4-1 loss on home ice. Following the loss, Marner was asked about the struggles he and Matthews are experiencing at 5-on-5 and admitted he isn't doing enough to help Matthews get open.
Admittedly, Marner has always been a pass-first player, but over the last couple of seasons, he has started shooting more, which created more openings for Matthews and others. So far this season though, Marner is averaging just over 12 shot attempts per 60 minutes which does not sound horrible, but when you compare it to Matthews and John Tavares who are averaging almost 17 and William Nylander who averages almost 19 shots per 60 minutes, Marner is well below where he should be, given the ice time he receives per game.
There may be some concern among Leaf fans about the team's struggles at 5-on-5, but Marner and Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe do not appear to be overly concerned. In particular, Keefe said that the struggles of Matthews and Marner are nowhere near the top of his list of things to fix.
They will continue with it. Among the things that I am worried about, those two guys are not anywhere near the top of the list." - Keefe on Marner and Matthews' struggles to generate scoring chances
With the Leafs visiting the Boston Bruins on Thursday, who are once again off to a very good start, the Leafs need to hope that Marner and Matthews are able to figure out their issues at 5-on-5. If not, it could be a very long evening for them against the likes of David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand.
| POLL | ||
NOVEMBRE 1 | 348 ANSWERS Keefe, Marner discuss the top line's lack of production at 5-on-5 Should Keefe temporarily break up Matthews and Marner to help fix their struggles? | ||
| Yes | 196 | 56.3 % |
| No | 152 | 43.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
