Auston Matthews hasn’t registered a point in his last four games. He’s had a down season by his standards after a year in which he captured league MVP. But how much does that matter right now?

SEATTLE — Auston Matthews has 26 goals and 31 assists in 52 games this season, but it's fair to say his 1.09 points per game is at a pace that is less than expected from a player who became the first player in 10 seasons to score 60 goals in a season while winning league MVP honors in 2021-22.

The Toronto Maple Leafs forward acknowledged on Saturday that the puck simply hasn't been falling in the net for him.

"I think it’s pretty natural for your confidence to hinder at times when the puck’s not going in. It’s easy to get discouraged," he said. "But at the same time, I just try to stay positive and look at the positives and the situation and just continue to work and be effective in other areas of my game as well."

Matthews has gone four games without recording a single point. His performance against the Wild on Friday amplified the issue as his line managed just two shots on goal at even strength. 

Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe switched things up at practice on Saturday and will reunite Matthews with Mitch Marner on his right wing when the team visits the Seattle Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena on Sunday.

Keefe insisted the switch at right wing had more to do with giving William Nylander a look with newcomer Ryan O'Reilly than anything to do with Matthews' inability to contribute offensively.

"We hope that it would be one of the benefits but it wasn't necessarily the reason for the switch," Keefe said. "Of reuniting Matthews with Marner. "I think Auston and Willy (together) have been really good throughout the season."

Nylander has enjoyed a breakout season in which he has scored a team-high 33 goals and added 37 assists in 59 games. A majority of those points have occurred with Matthews on as his center.

And Matthews' underlying statistics have held steady. According to NaturalStatTrick.com, he has an expected goals-for of 67 percent. That would match his career-best set during his sophomore season in the NHL.

"He hasn’t cheated the game at all. He’s remained diligent in his defensive play," Keefe said of Matthews. "For a lot of offensive players, especially those that have high expectations of themselves and expectations and pressures from outside, if it doesn’t go your way, you tend to make that the priority and start cheating and being on the wrong side of the puck. 

"That’s what has impressed me the most is that he hasn’t flinched in terms of his commitment to the play away from the puck."

The 25-year-old Matthews admitted in the beginning of the season that he was trying to take his game to another level. He started making a conscious effort to hit a little more.

But it's hardly a substitute for lighting the lamp.

"I’m just going to continue to put in the work, keep shooting the puck, keep doing the things that make me successful and just stick with the process," Matthews said. "I think the most important thing is just makings sure that as a team we’re on the same page and elevating our game, especially this time of year."

With 23 games remaining in the regular season, there isn't a lot of motivation to feed on as the team plays out the remaining stretch. The Leafs are virtually locked into another first-round playoff series with the Tampa Bay Lightning. 

Matthews elevated his game by scoring four goals and adding five assists for a career-high nine points in the 2022 playoffs. But it wasn't enough to put his team over the first-round playoff hump.

He has plenty of time to work through the mini-slump (if you even want to call it that) he is working through and set himself for the optimal version of himself in the playoffs.

The commitment to defense is important. Adding some aggression as the games get more intense will also help. But this will be the year Matthews has to come through in the clutch. 

In Game 6, Matthews had the series on his stick in overtime what looked to be a series-advancing shot hit iron. The Lightning came back to win the game and force a Game 7 that they ended up winning while on the road.

With not a lot to play for, if Matthews has to be on some sort of slump, this is the right time. The stakes, right now, are low. If he can be clutch in this year's playoffs, that'll where he'll have proven his game has taken the next step.