Craig Berube Sounds Off On Auston Matthews' Lack Of Scoring
Photo credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
Maple Leafs head coach ended up putting captain Auston Matthews on blast a bit as the star forward hasn't really done a lot of scoring in this year's postseason.
There's been a lot of positives to take out of the Maple Leafs season thus far. Not only do they have a 2-1 series lead in the second round against Florida, they won the Atlantic Division and look like a polar opposite team from in recent years.
But one constant that has been apparent this season is the lack of goal scoring from Auston Matthews.
Coming off a 69-goal campaign last year, Matthews barely touched over 30 goals and it was a topic of huge concern whether it was injuries, regression, or a combination of the two.
He's become a more complete player under Craig Berube, but the Maple Leafs need him to score more for sure. Two goals only in the playoffs is not a good showing, and frankly, he needs to be a bit better offensively.
Auston Matthews Shoots, But Can't Score
Craig Berube understands that, and took a moment to put his captain on blast a bit, telling him that while he's been good; he does need to put the puck in the net:
Listen, he is a great scorer. We all know that. I am not too worried about it. It is what it is. Yeah, he needs to hit the net. He is trying to hit the net. He is not trying to miss the net. He is trying to hit it. I am not going to elaborate on it too much.
Matthews currently leads the playoffs in missed shots, and often has the chance to score but will put the puck wide.
While it's great for Berube to say that things are what they are, it doesn't soften the sting of Matthews' lack of offense.
Toronto has had great support with William Nylander, Max Pacioretty, John Tavares and of course, Mitch Marner; but they need their captain.
This postseason, Matthews has 10 points in nine games, but again only has two goals to eight assists. He's given a much more defensive role, and he's being heavily used in the face-off dot (where he has a. blistering 57% win rate).
It's not a terrible playoff stretch by any means, and his is invaluable to the team for his defense, hockey IQ and playmaking.
But this is Auston Matthews we're talking about. Him not scoring feels pretty weird, and if Toronto wants some success going forward they need him to pick it up fast.
| POLL | ||
MAI 10 | 869 ANSWERS Craig Berube Sounds Off On Auston Matthews' Lack Of Scoring Do you think Auston Matthews will end up scoring in the Florida series or will he be held goalless? | ||
| He'll Break Out! | 655 | 75.4 % |
| No Goals Scored! | 214 | 24.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
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