Matthews has to score for Leafs to counter this challenge

During the most of his time with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Auston Matthews served as a Rorschach test for hockey fans as a Rorschach test.

Those who accept that Playoff hockey is a moody animal -that success after the season is often the result of just enough of the 50-50 chances to set off, and that Matthews is only one of 25 players on a roster -are less likely that Matthews is responsible for Matthews for the annual spring blasting in Toronto.

Those who do not interest such nuances see it easier: Matthews is an elite goal scorer in the regular season, and he was not in the playoffs. Some will go one step further and imagine the reasons for the lack of goals: he is not interested in enough; He is not ready to increase his game to achieve the intensity of the Stanley Cup playoffs. He is for air, American. Dougie Gilmour didn't have these problems in the post -season!

The funny thing, however,: When these playoffs have developed and the Maple Leafs from a relatively comfortable 4-2 victory against the Ottawa senators went to a very unpleasant 2: 2 division of the second round with the Florida Panthers.

Not everything is his fault that the Leafs in Florida passed out and blow a 3-1 lead in game 3 before they were grabbed 2-0 in game 4.

But also: he really has to start putting the puck online.

The 27-year-old's numbers are dark. He scored two goals in 10 games in these playoffs, and no one in four games against the Panthers. He is 0: 9 in Playoff games against Florida, including the embarrassing flop of the leafs in the second round in 2023, right after this group had finally achieved a series win. His career goals per game in the playoffs has tapped 0.38-below the 0.63 mark, which he published in nine regular seasons, including two when he broke the 60-goal plateau.

What strikes this season is that Leaf's management has decided to remove the captain of John Tavares, veteran of the hometown, and to climb them onto the chest – and in a figurative sense of the shoulders – from Matthews. He is no longer the first overall draft that entered the NHL at a 19-year-old and immediately delivered one season with 40 goals. Now he is the guy with enough experience to be the face of a franchise company, even in an intense hockey market worlds outside of his house in Arizona.

In a playoff run, in which the Leafs receive large contributions from unlikely sources -four goals from Morgan Rielly, five of ex -captain -Tavares -Matthews could not touch his normal level, let alone increase his game.

The nuance -oriented fan can indicate many other things that Matthews in these playoffs prove that the efforts are present: it has eight templates, and his 10 points are third on the Leafs behind William Nylander and Mitch Marner. He wins the facial discussion, forces sales and blocks shots. Its line drives more than any other Leaf striker line and he takes on his usual boat load. He heads the team in this category and in the attempts to shoot with a big lead. None of this indicates that he only floats around without trying to influence the game.

But his shooting share in this post -season is also a sad 5.7%or about a third of his career average of the regular season. Some of it is due to happiness; Some of it is because the Panthers take away the proverbial time and the proverbial space.

But at some point a player from Matthew's talent simply has to score more often if it counts the most. His 65 career playoff games should be more than enough to overcome the effects of the small sample. Multi-goal games over this route: three. Hattricks: zero. The Leafs are 15-7 when it is achieved in the playoffs.

In the regular 2023-24 season, Matthews had 18 multi-goal games in 81 excursions. (And six hat tricks.) It seems almost statistically impossible that someone with this starting and shooting volume did not break out points in the off-season.

The captain of Toronto has appeared and he contributes to every evening. The Panthers are the defending champions, and they don't make it easy with an excellent defense corps that is big and mobile.

But even Matthew's most passionate defender have to admit that three goals in his last 20 playoff games are simply not enough – not for a man with his goal. Not for a player who received the captain as a show of the trust of the management. Not for someone with the highest content in the NHL.

If the Maple Leafs win two out of the Panthers, they need Matthews to take them there.

Scott Stinson is a writer for thescore.