May 11, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews (34) and Florida Panthers center Brad Marchand (63) fight to control the puck during the third period in game four of the second round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amerant Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn ImagesFORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Through the first four games of the Toronto Maple Leafs' second-round series with the Florida Panthers, Auston Matthews has been held off the score sheet. And it certainly hasn't been due to a lack of chances.
The Maple Leafs captain leads the postseason in missed shots. Head coach Craig Berube acknowledged the lack of scoring by Matthews, but was not concerned, due to all the other things the player has done right during the playoffs.
"You just gotta keep playing. I get it, but he does a lot of other things in the game that really dictate things and does a great job with a lot of other areas of the game. He's just got to keep focusing on that. He's going to get his looks and just stick with what he's doing and don't get too frustrated with anything because it's not just about scoring goals."
During the four-game series, Matthews has been on the ice for five goals scored and just two against at even strength. After going up 2-0 in the best-of-seven series, the Panthers held serve by winning both of their games at Amerant Bank Arena, with the series shifting back to Game 5 in Toronto on Wednesday.
While it's certainly a positive sign that the Leafs, for the most part, have played well in a series with the defending Stanley Cup champions without their most prolific goal scorer putting the puck in the net. At some point, his production is going to be needed if the Leafs are going to be successful in going on a deep playoff run.
'Berube feels Matthews' finding the net is just a matter of time.
"Big goal's coming. That's the way you've got to think about it," Berube said. "He's out there killing penalties. He's going against top lines. He's checking, working, competing. A lot of good stuff, you know. Yeah, we'd like him to score and so would he. It's not easy to score in the playoffs. So I'm not overly worried about it."
Matthews has two goals and eight assists in 10 playoff games this year. During the regular season, the forward missed a total of 15 games due to a lingering upper-body injuries. There have been two occasions during the postseason where Matthews was the only player to not take the ice for a full morning skate, leading to some though that the player may not be at 100 percent.
A three-time winner of the NHL's top goal-scoring award, Matthews was limited to 33 goals in 67 games.
Stay updated with the most interesting Maple Leafs stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News to never miss a story.