Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews hasn’t scored as many goals this year, but he has a significant career high elsewhere.
Matthews has logged the most penalty-kill ice time of his career by a massive amount, already accumulating 95:39, compared to 57:44 last year and 3:29 in 2022-23.
While Matthews has been an effective penalty-killer and gained the trust of Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube, routinely sending him out as the first forward pair to kill penalties, it could be affecting his 5-on-5 goal scoring.
The total penalty-kill ice time averages out to 1:37 per game. Matthews’ 5-on-5 ice time is lower as a result, although Berube also tries to roll all four lines more frequently than former Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe.
In the 2023-24 season, Matthews averaged 20:57 of ice time, including 15:19 at 5-on-5, according to naturalstattrick.com. This season, his overall ice time is nearly identical, averaging 20:35, but at 5-on-5, he averages 14:14.
Against the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday night, the 27-year-old dominated the third period, serving as the catalyst for a comeback win against the team with the best record at home.
The key factor was Matthews’ dominance in non-5-on-5 scenarios. His goal came shorthanded, missing on a breakaway after forcing a turnover and using his hand-eye to win the puck back before showcasing his hands on the deke and finish. He also dominated a pair of 4-on-4 shifts before picking up the primary assist on John Tavares' eventual game-winner on the power play.
“He wins draws. He's got a great stick, blocks shots,” Berube said following the 3-1 win over the Kings. “I mean, he does all the things where you need to on the penalty kill.”
Is Oilers' Leon Draisaitl A Better Goal-Scorer Than Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews? Not Quite
At the moment, there are only two active NHL players with three or more 50-plus-goal seasons: Washington’s Alexander Ovechkin and…wait, you were expecting us to say <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs">Toronto Maple Leafs</a> captain Auston Matthews, weren’t you?
Matthews has found ways to be a difference-maker and impose his will, but it’s uncharacteristically coming at the cost of his goal-scoring. The 2024-25 campaign marks the second-lowest goals-per-game rate of his career at 0.492, nearly equal to the 0.488 in his rookie season.
The goals scored at 5-on-5 are even more telling. While Matthews has dealt with injury issues this season, the drastic dip still comes as a surprise.
At 5-on-5, Matthews has just 12 goals and is shooting at 8.3 percent. His next lowest 5-on-5 goal total came in the 2018-19 season, when he scored 23. His underlying numbers remain positive but aren’t eye-popping like we’ve become accustomed to with Matthews.
"He does all the things where you need to on the penalty kill." - Berube on Matthews-
Attributing the dip in production to just additional penalty kill time would be inaccurate. The injury troubles have played a factor, but Berube’s style of play has also left an impact.
Matthews is still a dangerous scorer in many situations, such as on the power play, on the cycle and most importantly, off the rush.
In Berube’s style of hockey, he asks his centers to be very low in the defensive end, routinely having them be the third and sometimes fourth player out of the zone. Another part of Berube’s style that harms Matthews’ transition output is the frequency in which the Maple Leafs dump the puck in, losing out on creative rush offense.
William Nylander is another Maple Leafs forward who thrives off of transition offense and is having a career season, scoring 42 goals so far. One key difference between the two is their position. Nylander is given the freedom as a right winger to stretch the play and leak out of the defensive zone if the right opportunity presents itself.
Berube’s trust in Matthews’ defensive game is admirable, but it’s also led to the captain having the third-lowest percentage of offensive zone starts in his career. In Matthews’ last three seasons, he started more than 60 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, according to naturalstattrick.com. This year, that number is at 58.21 percent, and his 239 defensive zone starts are the most in his career by more than 50.
The Maple Leafs increase their chances of winning whenever the 2022 Hart Trophy winner is on the ice. Whether it’s at even strength, the penalty kill or the power play, the threat Matthews poses to score, make plays or lock down the opposition is invaluable.
As the playoffs approach, finding ways for Matthews to continue to be critical to the defensive side of the puck while making the most of his scoring talent could be key to their success.
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