Leafs Captain Auston Matthews Issues New Challenge to his Team

With the Florida Panthers in town trying to stop the Maple Leafs from extending their Atlantic Division lead, they are going to have a tough time, but with some solid goaltending and a motivated lineup, they can do right by themselves and set the tone against their potential first round opponents.

For captain Auston Matthews, the main goal is always the Stanley Cup, and with this season giving the team a better chance than they had in previous years, it looks like with a new lineup and a whole lotta luck, the team may make a deep run.

So he's trying to get his team sparked and has one message for them: Win the division.

Matthews and the rest of the team are in the mindset of winning the division not only to ensure that they prove to the rest of the league they aren't just the laughingstock when it comes to the playoffs and play well against teams like Florida, but give them the ever-important home field advantage.

Matthews has done his best to give his team every chance to win, as over his last 10 games he has 11 points, and has put in a respectable season even though he's missed 15 games this year due to injury.

In 59 games this season, the captain has 68 points (29G, 39G) and while his goal output and 5v5 numbers have decreased, he's putting a lot more emphasis on defense and becoming a complete player under Craig Berube, even more than he already was.

Florida is a bit at a disadvantage with some key pieces missing like Matthew Tkachuk and Aaron Ekblad, so the Maple Leafs need to set the tone early, hit hard and hit often, and try to score as quickly as possible. They also need to make sure they keep Brad Marchand at bay, and it's a good test ahead of the playoffs.

If Matthews and the team can play a full 60-minute game and not let Florida fight back if they fall behind, it proves they can hang with the best and gives hope for a strong playoff push.

But another loss to the Panthers will make it feel like the team is destined for another first round exit.