Jul 19, 2020
Matthews aiming to shoot more as Leafs camp ramps up
Known for having one of the NHL’s most lethal shots, the Maple Leafs centre has been hesitant to unleash it during Return To Play camp, but said it’s just about getting his timing and feet back under him. Kristen Shilton writes.
TORONTO — Auston Matthews is known for having one of the National Hockey League’s most lethal shots, but lately he’s been hesitant to unleash it during the Toronto Maple Leafs’ Return To Play training camp.
“A lot of times in these kind of scenarios, you're almost just looking for the perfect play and I think it's good to get out of that habit and start shooting pucks more,” Matthews said on a Zoom call with reporters from Ford Performance Centre on Sunday. “I don't think I'd really call it an issue, but [for me], I'm always going to have that shoot-first mentality. I expect a lot out of myself and in certain situations I know I need to shoot the puck more and I think that's just getting my timing and getting my feet back under me.”
Toronto’s top centreman touched on the topic after Leafs’ head coach Sheldon Keefe mentioned on Saturday that he thought Matthews was holding back for fear of injuring a teammate with his forceful blast. Matthews acknowledged that “obviously, you never want to hurt anybody” but he’s also been preoccupied with more aspects of his game than just getting pucks off.
Sunday marked the sixth day of on-ice work the Leafs have had since Phase 3 of the NHL’s Return To Play plan began on July 13, over which time Matthews has skated in five practices and three scrimmages. When camp began, Matthews was still getting his conditioning back after a COVID-19 diagnosis hampered his preparation for Phase 3, and that work is still well underway.
“I think the way I felt the last couple days is a lot better,” Matthews said. “But the timing [is still coming], and just handling the puck and feeling the way you [usually] do halfway through the season, when you've been playing games and you're used to it. Just the pace of play and everything is starting to come back to me. But I figured that would take a little bit of time. As far as being happy [with my game], I'd always like to be better.”
The 22-year-old may be his own harshest critic, but Matthews’ teammates haven’t noticed any drop-off in his performance since camp started.
“He said he was feeling a bit sluggish [in the beginning], but you never really notice it with him,” said Tyson Barrie. “He’s such a special player and the way that he controls the puck, I think the head and the hands [are] the great equalizer and he certainly has those going and I think he looks pretty good right now.”
Keefe gave Matthews an opportunity to really open things up during the Leafs’ Sunday scrimmage. It was the third of five games planned throughout camp that pit Team Matthews versus Team Andersen, but the first that was a full three periods long and replete with scheduled “TV timeouts” and brief intermissions that mimic game conditions.
Matthews started camp with his regular linemates William Nylander and Zach Hyman, but when Hyman was drilled in the leg by a shot in Friday’s practice and deemed “unfit to play” ever since, Keefe decided to get creative.
On Sunday, he tried moving Nylander to centre, and had John Tavares and Mitch Marner flanking Matthews. Keefe had loaded up that trio sporadically in the regular season and they performed well, with an edge in scoring chances (23-14) and goals-for (3-0) over 30:10 total ice time, but he never stuck with it for long.
The adjustments worked out nicely once again for Matthews’ team, though. In their 5-0 defeat of Team Andersen, Marner scored once and Matthews lit the lamp twice.
“I think we're pretty familiar with each other. They are two special players and fun guys to play with,” Matthews said. “I thought our first period, it wasn't bad. In the second and third we started to control the puck a lot better and had more time on the attack and we started to hem the other team in there, and I think those are always positive signs. It's nice to have a lot of really good players on this team to play with.”
“It's an All-Star Game line,” added Barrie. “That can't be fun to play against. But it's fun to get out there with them and you can see the way they throw the puck around. They kind of know where each other are going to be.”
The Leafs still have two weeks to go before their first scheduled game of the NHL’s prospective Phase 4, where a 24-team playoff tournament would pit Toronto against the Columbus Blue Jackets in a best-of-five qualifying round series opening August 2. With that kind of time to plan, Keefe’s only commitment is to keeping his options open.
“They're obviously three very good players,” Keefe said. “I’ve used them [together] at different times in a game. I suspect it's something that I would want to go back to at different times, so here now was a chance for us to get them some reps. Between the three of them playing together and getting [Tavares] some time on the wing, that will help us. And then we also get a look at Nylander in the middle at the same time so I thought [those changes] served [their] purpose.”
Ideally, the Leafs also got something out of Sunday’s overall format. It was their first day of on-ice sessions that did not include a practice, so that players could act as if they were preparing for a real playoff game that started at 12 p.m. Once the NHL postseason gets going, the Leafs could see puck drop at noon, 4 p.m., or 8 p.m., and will need to adjust their usual routines accordingly.
But even for an inter-squad scrimmage, that’s not always easy.
“You’re just trying to remember everything,” Matthews said of his game-day rituals. “Because I think I'm reminded every year when we get going again that there's a lot of things that each guy kind of goes through and remembering it sometimes is a bit of an issue. But I think for the most part, you’re just trying to simulate your preparation and everything as if it were a real game, regardless of the situation, and go from there.”
Toronto will have its first full day off from camp on Monday, giving players time to assess and regroup before the stretch run into Phase 4. Matthews isn’t sure exactly what to expect when the Leafs transition to the NHL’s “bubble” and the postseason tournament begins, but he’s enjoying the process of getting there.
“I'm just trying to take it day-by-day and do everything that I can to get myself prepared for the ice sessions and get back to [my] regular routine from during the season,” he said. “Obviously it isn't easy coming off a couple months of not playing and then jumping right back into games. But the coaching staff has done a pretty good job of lining stuff up for us like this that's more game-like, so when you do step back into game play, we’re as ready as we can be.”