Auston Matthews sounds fed up after another inconsistent Maple Leafs effort
Photo credit: Toronto Maple Leafs - YouTube
Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews is at his wit's end when it comes to his team's effort recently, and didn't mince words post-game as frustration mounts after blowing the game against Carolina on Sunday.
For the first time since being named captain, it felt like Auston Matthews was finally fed up with being patient.
Up 4-2 in the second period, things were looking good for Toronto even if they had no business winning (MoneyPuck had Carolina winning 94.1% of the time) and it looked like the team was headed towards a bounce-back game after a tough loss on Saturday.
Well, as quickly as they had the lead they lost it, and blowing a two-goal lead to lose 5-4 is not the way the team wanted to finish the penultimate game of their homestand.
Why Matthews' Comments Sound Like a Captain Running Out of Patience
Craig Berube is at a loss, fans are questioning whether or not the team is built right, and now it sounds like Auston Matthews has had enough.
Speaking to reporters after the loss to the Hurricanes; a game where he added his 9th goal of the season, the captain didn't mince words about his team's total effort and implored them to find some consistency:
It's just kind of been the same stuff: details & execution...I didn't think we won enough puck battles tonight, and just kind of the repetitive stuff that we just can't seem to get right or we can't seem to have a consistency over a full 60 minutes.
You can't fault Matthews for being upset, as he and the other stars have picked up their slack recently and were the bright spot on Sunday night.
The Recurring Issues the Maple Leafs Still Haven't Solved
Matthews, William Nylander, John Tavares and Matthew Knies combined for all four goals and eight points, and while they were impactful albeit on the ice for a couple of bad goals; they can hardly be blamed.
Matthews being upset shows that his typical cool demeanor is starting to crack and the more the team falters, the less time the captain is going to afford his teammates to turn it around.
This is a roster who showed true improvement last year with a new system, and although they did lose some people -- this is putting their playoff potential at serious risk.
Clearly Craig Berube was fed up with his lack of production from the depth as well, as no-one outside of Nic Roy played more than 15 minutes; Max Domi played 8:30.
The lack of production also brings to light that this team could not defend a rush if their lives depended on it.
Case in point Jordan Staal's goal above. Where were ANY of the Maple Leafs? They were puck-watching and assuming the puck would be cleared, and when it wasn't -- were caught flat-footed and out of position.
It's something that they had no issues with last year, and most of the chances teams got were low-danger but now they are allowing opponents to skate freely around the ice.
Also the team gave up four separate breakaway opportunities; whatever they are trying to accomplish isn't working:
No wonder Carolina was expected to win so handily according to MoneyPuck, they had it pretty easy.
For a team that had such an improvement last season, this one is the polar opposite. Chris Tanev can't just be the one who brings everyone together defensively and the depth hasn't shown they can handle the heat.
There are 22 other players who could pick up the slack, but you can't point the finger at Auston Matthews; at least when it comes to his production.
Something's gotta give though, and if the Maple Leafs don't find a way to turn things around then it could turn a middling season into a completely disastrous one.
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NOVEMBRE 10 | 1685 ANSWERS Auston Matthews sounds fed up after another inconsistent Maple Leafs effort Is Auston Matthews going to be able to bring his team together or has he started to lose the locker room? | ||
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