Matthews' increase in physicality appears to be impacting other parts of his game negatively
Before last night's 4-2 loss against the Arizona Coyotes, Auston Matthews told the media that he's decided to be more physical this season. This is already apparent one week into the season, but it seems committing to hits may be taking him out of position and causing the star forward to lack in other aspects of his game.
Following the Arizona game, Matthews still trails only Nicolas Aube-Kubel with 14 hits this season. However, he didn't collect a single point against his hometown team - the same team who finished 31st overall in the NHL's standings just last season.
In the tweets above, The Athletic's Scott Wheeler defends the solid reasoning behind using more physicality when it comes to Matthews. But, the reporter points out how it may not be worth taking away from other aspects of Matthews' game that have always set him apart from the rest.
With this only being the fourth game of the regular season, I'd like to think Leafs fans will see Matthews find some sort of balance between more physicality and puck possession. A player like Matthews, who has a very high hockey IQ, is likely to figure it out sooner than later. Still, the slow start is concerning in the here and now.
| POLL | ||
OCTOBRE 18 | 150 ANSWERS Matthews' increase in physicality appears to be impacting other parts of his game negatively What would you like to see Matthews prioritize, physicality or puck possession? | ||
| Physicality | 27 | 18 % |
| Puck possession | 47 | 31.3 % |
| Hoping for the best of both worlds | 76 | 50.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
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