Leafs’ top guns have to do what they do best
The obvious numbers don’t add up for Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner in this firstround series against the Montreal Canadiens.
They should be a goal-a-game combination. Or even better when you factor in linemate Zach Hyman.
They should be dominant the way Nathan Mackinnon’s line has been so explosive in Colorado, or the way the Brayden Point-nikita Kucherov tandem has been so overpowering for Tampa Bay.
The obvious numbers indicate that Matthews has scored just once in the series and, as the leading goal scorer in all of hockey, that doesn’t seem like much. Hyman has scored once also. Marner has no goals through five games.
Two goals in five games for the line with no name.
That’s the bad part. The good part: no forwards have played more for either team in the series than the Matthews line. No one even close. And they have yet to be on the ice for a goal against.
As great as William Nylander has played offensively this series, he’s been on the ice for five goals against in five games. And that’s while playing six or seven minutes a night less than Matthews or Marner.
So where exactly does value come from? It’s supposed to come from scoring goals and creating offence. That’s why they get the big dollars. The Matthews-marner combination has created offence, held the puck, been defensively responsible, caused Montreal trouble, and had numerous shots on goal.
Which means they haven’t produced. But they have. It depends on how you define production.
“There’s a lot to it,” said Sheldon Keefe, the Leafs’ head coach.
“Obviously, they’re trying to generate chances. Last night, Hyman had a breakaway. Marner has been in alone a bunch of times . ... To me, that line has played very well. They accept the responsibility that they have to produce.”
They expect more of themselves. That’s part of who they are, how they define themselves as players.
Matthews didn’t come into this series expecting one goal in five games. Marner didn’t come in expecting no goals and four assists to date. But his four points, meagre as it sounds, outpace all but one Montreal player.
Keefe obviously credits Canadiens goaltender Carey Price for making life difficult for the big line. But he admits they have to find ways to get Matthews more open, even if he leads the series with 25 shots.
“We’re playing without two of our top six forwards,” said Keefe. “It makes it a lot easier for the opposition to focus on them.”
In the not-so regular season, Matthews, Marner and Hyman combined to score 76 goals. So far in this round, they have two.
By their own standards, they should probably have six or seven goals. When you add in the Price factor, maybe you drop that number to four or five.
But veteran Jason Spezza agrees with his coach in his evaluation of the Matthews line.
“They’ve controlled play times,” said Spezza.
This much has been apparent heading in to Saturday night’s Game 6. Montreal doesn’t really create a lot of offence. The Habs take advantage of Leafs mistakes to score. In their crucial Game 5 win on Thursday night, Montreal scored three of its four goals directly off giveaways.
The series might be 3-2 in games played — but it’s three games won by the Leafs, and two games lost by them. Montreal is taking advantage of gifts. The Leafs have to stop being so generous.
That’s part of why Keefe is so pleased with the Matthews-marner-hyman line. They don’t play much in their own end. They don’t give the puck away carelessly. They don’t make rookie mistakes in the defensive zone.
And they haven’t been scored on — which should be the Toronto ticket to the next round of the playoffs.
Should be. Then again, the leading scorer in all of hockey should have more than one goal in a series entering Game 6. at all