Max Pacioretty Goes to Bat for Auston Matthews in Response to Unfair Question

After a dominant 4-0 win over the Boston Bruins, the Toronto Maple Leafs are riding high as they head into their Friday matchup against the Detroit Red Wings. Despite struggling with the power play earlier this season, the Leafs managed to score three power-play goals against the Bruins, all without their star player, Auston Matthews.

This has sparked some speculation that the Leafs might be able to manage without Matthews, even though the Arizona native is a three-time Rocket Richard Trophy winner. However, veteran winger Max Pacioretty isn't buying into that narrative. Pacioretty has this to say on Matthews, as per David Alter on X:

This is high praise, especially given the ongoing debate over who is the best player in hockey, with many pointing to Connor McDavid as the guy to beat. Make no mistake, though, Matthews is an elite goal scorer with talent unlike anything we've seen in recent history, aside from "The Great 8", Alexander Ovechkin.

Unfortunately, Matthews won't be in the lineup to bang one in on the power play,as Craig Berube confirmed that #34 would not be in the lineup against the Red Wings. Matthews has since officially been placed on injured reserve, meaning that he is not eligible to play this weekend.

As Pacioretty pointed out, missing one of the best players in the world will undoubtedly make wins harder to come by. Despite the strong performance and the confidence that the Maple Leafs players have in new starting goalie Anthony Stolarz, the road ahead will be tougher without Matthews, even if the power play did bank 3 goals on Tuesday.