Auston Matthews' Penalty-Killing and Other Observations in Maple Leafs' 3-1 Loss to Panthers
Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe put the forward lines in a blender during the third period but couldn't get anything going.
It was a rematch of last year's second round between the Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers. And it was more a mess than anything else.
Neither team had a clean game overall, whether it be missed passes or the numerous penalties being called. But Florida came out on top, capitalizing on some of Toronto's mistakes in their own end.
The Maple Leafs shuffled their lines in the third period to try and get something going, but couldn't. With that being said, there were some positives, and, some negatives.
Here are a few observations from the Maple Leafs' 2-1 loss to the Panthers.
Auston Matthews on the penalty kill
There are two things I've learned about Matthews since the season began. One, he's fully healthy and it shows with his six goals to start the season.
The other thing I've learned is, man, is Matthews ever dangerous on the penalty kill.
One of the 26-year-old's best traits is his ability to steal pucks from his opponent. You tie that in with his size, strength, shot-blocking, and hockey sense, and you've got yourself a very, very strong penalty killer.
Matthews uses his skating to protect the puck before leaning in and driving to the net for a scoring chance. With many people — fans and media — calling it the power kill, I'd say the main driver is Matthews.
He doesn't have a shorthanded goal yet in his career, but if he continues this trend, the 26-year-old could have multiple this season.
John Klingberg's defence
The biggest question mark heading into this season in regards to Klingberg was how he'd play defensively. And we're seeing at the moment why he's a liability at times.
Florida's first goal stems from the play of Klingberg in his own zone. The 31-year-old has a chance to clear the puck but instead hands it right to Kevin Stenlund, who finds the back of the net.
His defensive play was why signing him was a big risk. The question marks were always there. Could Klingberg return to his form a few years back when he was nominated for the Norris Trophy? Can he be reliable in his own zone?
The early judgement is, no. Klingberg hasn't shown enough to be heavily relied upon in his own end. However, the 31-year-old has shown how important of a piece he is on the power play.
So, it's a lot of give-and-take with Klingberg. Toronto gets the strong offensive player he is, but they also receive the player who needs to be paired with a defenseman who has strong metrics.
It's also worth mentioning that the season is young. There's plenty of time for Klingberg to turn his game around. It might just take some time.
The Knies-Tavares-Nylander line
When Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe moved Matthew Knies up with John Tavares and William Nylander, I thought it could be a good idea.
The 21-year-old did get some time with that pair in the playoffs last season and the line looked fairly promising. But with some free agency additions, that moved Knies back down the lineup.
But I believe this line should get more time together. Knies is the power forward that a second line needs while still having the smarts and strengths that Tavares carries and all the skills that Nylander has.
It was surprising to see the 21-year-old begin the season away from them, but I'm curious to see if Keefe continues to keep this trio together.
Other observations
- Tyler Bertuzzi was taken off the Maple Leafs' top line partway through the game. It could have to do with what he's dealing with, but it also might be in part due to his play.
I wouldn't say Bertuzzi has looked good in his first four games with his new team.
- Fraser Minten got lost in the shuffle late in the game with it being so close. That happens with a rookie, but I wonder if we're slowly seeing the 19-year-old's time in the NHL for this season slip away.
While he hasn't been bad, I do believe another year in the WHL and a World Junior Championship with Team Canada will help him in his development. He only played 8:47 in Toronto's loss to Florida.
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