'He Was The Next Guy Up': Sheldon Keefe Explains Why Auston Matthews Wasn't On For Empty Net Opportunity Against Devils
Bertuzzi scored his 21st goal of the season on the empty net against the Devils on Tuesday.
There were a lot of questions about why Auston Matthews wasn't on the ice late in the game on Tuesday when the New Jersey Devils had an empty net.
And on Thursday morning ahead of their final game against the Devils, Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe answered them.
Matthews scored his 66th goal of the year in New Jersey, which was Toronto's fourth goal of the game. There was another opportunity for Matthews to score later when the Devils had an empty net to push for the comeback.
Tyler Bertuzzi had gotten a penalty before New Jersey pulled their goalie, which meant the Devils were getting a six-on-four late in the game.
"He's not going to be out there four-on-six. That's not a situation that he plays in, and that to me is forcing it. But he's six-on-five," Keefe said of why Matthews wasn't on the ice during that segment.
New Jersey couldn't score on the power play, and when Bertuzzi came out of the box, he put the puck into the empty net with just over a minute remaining in the game.
"I know it got lots of play on whether Auston should've been on the ice with the goalie out and such. He was going to be out. He's the next man up," Keefe added. "We just didn't get the line change that we wanted at the time."
The trio of Max Domi, Bertuzzi, and Matthews has generated a lot of success as of late. They've played just under 124 minutes together this season and have a 68.35 xGF% at five-on-five, according to NaturalStatTrick.com.
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Keefe has been impressed with the line's play during this stretch of games. And the Maple Leafs head coach also continues to be in awe of the historic season that Matthews is having.
"I mean, it's pretty remarkable already what Auston's accomplished here, right? The number continues to grow. Nobody in the league has got to this number and that in itself is pretty terrific to watch," Keefe added.
"Auston's feeling really good right now. Lots of energy. You can see that in his play. Talking to him, you can see it. You can just see the way he's interacting with his teammates. He's playing with a free mind and you can see it out there."
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