Toronto Maple Leafs: Auston Matthews, the Power-Play Dominate Habs
By William Cann
Auston Matthews
A lot has been made of the match up between Matthews and Danault, but thus far in the series it isn’t even close.
Danault is a fantastic 5v5 player and has had some success against top players this year, but Matthews has just decided to take his game to another level, and Danault just doesn’t have a say in the matter.
To give you an idea of just how elite Matthews has been, take a look at what his line has done in the playoffs so far:
Top lines in the playoffs so far (at least 20 minutes played together 5 on 5) https://t.co/qJ34bzwQWo pic.twitter.com/XfOBOogE0z
— MoneyPuck.com (@MoneyPuckdotcom) May 23, 2021
Last night, Matthews had 3 points (1G, 2A) to lead the Leafs. He also won 16 of 20 draws, had a 91.39 xGF%, and the Habs had ZERO high danger chances when he was on the ice. He was a physical force all night winning puck battles with 4 hits, 3 takeaways, and 0 turnovers. He was also very noticeable defensively when he needed to be, which wasn’t very often.
After the game,
Auston Matthews dedicates tonight's win to John Tavares in postgame interview with @SNkylebukauskas: "This one's for him, obviously. He's our guy. He's our captain."
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) May 23, 2021
Production. Accountability. Gamesmanship. Leadership. Auston Matthews is taking his game to another level, and he’s bringing the Leafs with him.
Next. Leafs Top 10 Prospects. dark
On to enemy territory for back to back games Monday and Tuesday. I expect the intensity to only go up, and I expect the Leafs to be ready for it.
Go Leafs!