Lost in the excitement of last night, Auston Matthews lands multiple huge open ice hits last night against the Bolts
Through 2 games in the Leafs' playoff series against the Tampa Bay Lightning thus far, Auston Matthews has still not found the back of the net. However, just like in the regular season, when Matthews isn't scoring, he has still managed to have a huge impact for his team.
Matthews has registered 4 assists in the series so far, but it's also worth mentioning that he has been noticeably physical in the series as well. Take, for example these two massive hits from last night.
Now, the hits themselves could have easily resulted in interference calls, as the puck was nowhere near Matthews or the players that he levelled in either instance, but more than anything else, I think what Matthews is trying to establish is that if you get in his way, you're going to get run over.
Matthews may be a two-time Rocket Richard Trophy winner and the defending Hart Trophy winner, but he's showing that his impact on the game isn't just limited to his puck skills. In the playoffs, you need to be more physical and what Matthews is doing right now is reminding guys that he's not just a sniper - he's also 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds.
| POLL | ||
21 AVRIL | 302 ANSWERS Lost in the excitement of last night, Auston Matthews lands multiple huge open ice hits last night against the Bolts Should Matthews continue throwing the body around or just stick to scoring goals? | ||
| Stick to scoring goals | 26 | 8.6 % |
| Keep laying hits | 35 | 11.6 % |
| A bit of both isn't a bad thing | 241 | 79.8 % |
| List of polls | ||
