Leafs Captain Auston Matthews Publicly Addresses Recent Scoring Slump

Toronto Maple Leafs are facing off against the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday evening, aiming to extend their win streak to four games heading into the break.

Despite the team's recent success, Matthews is one player who has struggled to put pucks across the goal line. However, Matthews remains optimistic, as he shared in a recent interview following practice on Friday.

Despite dealing with injuries, Matthews has remained productive this season, tallying 20 goals and 44 points in 39 games. However, his pace is not quite up to the level of the 60-70 goals per season he's been accustomed to in recent years.

The Leafs captain has been keeping things light, recently cracking jokes about Matthew Knies' controversial potential high-sticking goal and his attempt to hide it by having Jake McCabe lead the line for fist bumps at the bench.

In an effort to spark Matthews' scoring touch, the Maple Leafs have shaken up their lines, separating him from Mitch Marner. Surprisingly, statistics have shown that the long time linemate duo is actually more productive when they are apart.

Despite Matthews' lack of scoring, the Maple Leafs are still winning games. They will look to extend their win streak tonight, with or without Matthews finding the back of the net. That said, it's always better when the captain is scoring, as when he's on his game, there's no one better at putting the puck in the net.