Auston Matthews, the Toronto Maple Leafs’ superstar, had a rollercoaster of a game against the Boston Bruins on Saturday night.
At one point, the 27-year-old sniper was a hero for his club, scoring his fourth goal of the season with 77 seconds left in the third period to draw the game 3-3. The next moment, a costly turnover in overtime that resulted in Bruins winger Brad Marchand’s game-winning goal cast Matthews as the villain in the eyes of some Maple Leafs fans.
That’s the double-edged sword that comes with being an NHL captain. Whether the Maple Leafs win or lose, Matthews’ name will likely be attached to the final result. It’s especially true when tensions are high like they are during the organization’s current brought patch.
Toronto head coach Craig Berube isn’t afraid to place blame where it’s due. Having said that, the 58-year-old bench boss isn’t willing to throw his captain under the bus for his club’s latest loss. “We gotta support (Matthews) a little bit better on that play. We left him alone there,” Berube said during the post-game scrum, per TSN’s Mark Masters. “It was a mistake by everybody out there.”
Auston Matthews on OT goal: "I thought somebody was coming back & then, as I went to pass it, I looked up & that wasn’t the case"
Craig Berube: "We gotta support him a little bit better on that play. We left him alone there. It was a mistake by everybody out there" https://t.co/dobzDEErrW
— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) October 27, 2024
The game-changing error occurred midway through overtime buried. After gathering the puck in his own zone, Matthews launched a pass around the boards that appeared to be intended for Mitchell Marner.
Unfortunately, Marner was deep in the neutral zone, allowing Bruins forward David Pastrnak to intercept the ball. Pastrnak then slap-passed the puck to Marchand, who smashed it past Maple Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz to earn Boston an overtime victory over its Atlantic Division opponent.
After the game, Matthews implied that he wouldn’t have attempted that pass if he knew Marner wasn’t ready.
“I thought somebody was coming back,” the Maple Leafs captain told reporters. “I looked up and that wasn’t the case.”
Following Saturday night’s loss, the Maple Leafs have now lost three consecutive games as well as four of their last five outings. Even if hockey is a team sport, Matthews made it clear earlier this week that his performance must improve if Toronto is to end its skid.
“It starts with me,” Matthews said after Thursday’s 5-1 loss to the St. Louis Blues. “I think the message was pretty simple to the whole group that we just need to be better.”
The two-time NHL All-Star is off to a relatively slow start to the 2024-25 campaign, tallying four goals and three assists in his first nine games. Although that’s a better output than an average player, it’s night and day compared to his 69-goal, 107-point performance from last season.
Aside from goaltending, the Maple Leafs have struggled across the board. If they want to turn this ship around and become Stanley Cup contenders, they’ll need to work harder as a team.
Matthews and the Maple Leafs will have another chance to redeem themselves when they face the Winnipeg Jets on Monday at Canada Life Centre.
