Auston Matthews is still leading all players involved in the Stanley Cup Playoffs in one specific statistic. Yes, even though him and his Toronto Maple Leafs are already off the ice and preparing for whatever this offseason brings.
Among all 331 skaters that laced up for at least one minute of action in the playoffs this year, Matthews has by far won the most puck battles, according to Sportlogiq's own tracking data.
And it's not even close.
Matthews has, according to Sportlogiq, won a total of 67 puck battles through the 13 games the Maple Leafs played this postseason. The very next player is perennial Selke Trophy finalist Aleksander Barkov with 55, Matthews's teammate John Tavares with 54, and Carolina Hurricanes center Jordan Staal tied with the former Leafs captain, with 54 as well.
First, it just had to be 67, right? We are really hoping this is not a troll job done by a Quebec-based private statistic company; to just throw another reference to the terrible Cup drought Toronto is experiencing right now.
But, regardless of the potential of poking fun, the lead Matthews has over those other players is tremendous. We don't have the full list, but for Matthews to have such an incredible lead of 12 more puck battles won over Barkov, while the next in order are either tied with the same amount or are just separated by one single number, is telling.
For everything said about what a disappointing playoffs it was for Matthews, he did play some absolutely astounding defensive hockey. Goals and shots were limited when he was on the ice and winning so many battles for possession plays a crucial part to that impact.
Now, could it be because there were just so many moments of loose possession and someone needed to win the battle? Maybe. Some sloppy play and careless possession could ultimately lead to the Leafs' top center having more opportunities to win these battles -- especially compared to someone like Barkov. So, maybe a percentage of puck battles won could end up swaying towards the Florida Panthers captain in the end, but we still get to boast about Toronto's star player doing one thing extremely well.
We all have to wonder if he can maybe even hold this lead through a few more rounds of games between the four teams that are left. Maybe Matthews will still have won the most puck battles among all players after the Stanley Cup is awarded. Could we raise a banner about that?