Columnist image

TSN Toronto Maple Leafs Reporter

| Archive

TSN reporter Kristen Shilton checks in daily with news and notes from Maple Leafs practices and game-day skates. The team held a morning skate at Air Canada Centre on Monday.

Auston Matthews has lost 10 games this season to injury, a fate that would frustrate any player. But on the scoresheet at least, the time away hasn’t seemed to slow Matthews.

In the seven games since he returned from a concussion on Dec. 23, Matthews has six goals and one assist, and his third-period goal against the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday helped spark the Leafs’ to a comeback win that he said “boosted morale” in the dressing room.

But Matthews’ contributions have always gone beyond point totals, and it’s in those areas that head coach Mike Babcock is still waiting for him to return to form.

“Auston, by the measure of [the media], is whether he scored or not. That’s not the measure to me,” he said. “It’s: Does he skate? Does he play 200 feet? Does he dominate the game? I think any time you’ve been out for periods of time like he has, you don’t skate as good as you normally do, so that’s probably still in process. Now we’ve got two more games and then we’ve got a week off, so it’s just one of those things. That’s the way it goes.”

Matthews has been pleased with his performance since near the end of Toronto’s three-game road trip in late December. His two goals against the Vegas Golden Knights on Dec. 31 were about the only bright spot for the Leafs to take from what was otherwise one of their most disappointing losses of the season.

“I think the tail end of our western trip there, in Vegas, I felt pretty good,” Matthews said. “And then it’s always nice to get these home games. You feel like when you’re on the road you get worn down pretty easily, especially when you’re out there for a while. But at home you get to sleep in your own bed and kind of just get back into your routine and that gives you a little more energy.”

The difficulty for Matthews, as Babcock alluded to, has been in getting his stamina back after extended periods away. The timing of his first game back, just before the NHL’s holiday break, didn’t do him any favours.

“I felt good in New York [on Dec. 23] and then we obviously went on break and it was tough because I was already not on the ice for a while and then you take a couple days off,” Matthews said. “You want to get back and get your legs going and your conditioning back. I feel back to normal. I felt back to normal since I’ve been back [health-wise].”

One person who has clearly benefitted from Matthews’ comeback is linemate William Nylander. Putting his own rocky start to the year in the rear-view mirror hasn’t been an easy process for Nylander, but with Matthews centering their line with Zach Hyman again, Nylander has been showing off his playmaking skills and that elusive tenacity Babcock chides him about is apparent more often.

“It’s real simple for Willy – when he competes and he’s on the puck and he has the puck, he’s a real good player,” said Babcock. “When he doesn’t, when he gets in lulls and isn’t feeling confident, he doesn’t have the puck. The beauty of this game, if you go get it, you have it. If you wait for someone to go get it, you don’t get it as much.”

The first half of the season saw a lot of movement among the Leafs’ forward lines, and consistent chemistry was hard to come by. But Matthews said he’s more confident in his line now than he was earlier this year.

“I think we’ve been able to really look for each other and create space,” said Matthews. “And Hyman’s been really doing what he does, so as a line we want to make sure we’re playing in the offensive zone as much as we can because that’s where we can really wear on their team, and we can play well without the puck [too], but we want to play in the offensive zone.”

----

When he was first recalled to the Maple Leafs last Friday, Travis Dermott was asked about potential playing time with the club in what was shaping up to be his first NHL stint. The left-shot defenceman admitted then while he had experience playing both sides in the American Hockey League, he hadn’t been “100 per cent comfortable” on the right side.

But in the same breath, Dermott said he’d play wherever Babcock told him to. He didn’t actually hear it from the coach directly, but Babcock has opted to slot Dermott in on the right against Columbus, next to veteran Jake Gardiner.

“I didn’t ask him [about it]. We just think he’s a good player. Let’s get him in and let him play,” said Babcock. “Here’s your opportunity. Do you want to play or not? Real simple. We’re going to find out whether he can play over time.”

Babcock has long been a proponent of playing defenders on their natural sides. But with a dearth of NHL-ready defencemen in the organization who also happen to be right shots, he’s had to get creative. Ron Hainsey is already playing on his off side (right) each night next to Morgan Rielly, who has plenty of past experience on his off side (right) as well.

“In an ideal world, [Dermott would] be a right-hand shot and he’d have been on the team all year,” said Babcock. “But even Ron Hainsey would tell you it’s way easier for him to play the left side. So, when the puck comes up to the point, and the guy is screaming out at you, what do you do with that thing? You don’t do anything; you bang it down and start all over again.”

Andreas Borgman will slot back into the lineup after being a healthy scratch against Vancouver, leaving Connor Carrick the odd-man out.

----

It’s become standard practice for Babcock to mention his team’s fast starts – or lack thereof – in recent weeks. No matter how much it’s emphasized, by him or his players, the Leafs still struggle to come out of the gate with energy and good puck possession.

Against Vancouver on Saturday, the Leafs first 30 minutes were especially flat, and Toronto trailed 2-0 as a result. So it was of little surprise that Babcock once again kicked off his pre-game press conference breaking down the importance of the Leafs’ start on Monday, especially against a Blue Jackets team that played on Sunday.

“I think starting on time is the number one thing in the National Hockey League. The team that scores first obviously has a better chance of winning,” he said. “I think it’s always important, but I think against teams that played…You should have a better opportunity, but you have to do something with that opportunity.”

The Blue Jackets were dominant against the Leafs on Dec. 20 in a 4-2 victory that came on the second night of a back-to-back for Toronto. There’s potential now for the shoe to be on the other foot, but it’s not always as simple as taking advantage of tired legs.

“You try to, but it’s tough to do,” said Morgan Rielly. “We’ve certainly done that a few times when you play on back-to-back nights, but good teams like the Blue Jackets will find a way to be ready. It’s not a real disadvantage at this level.”

Rielly has good reason to be skeptical of the Leafs’ chances in getting Columbus on its heels - over the last two seasons, Toronto is 1-3-0 against the Blue Jackets. Goaltender Joonas Korpisalo has played all four of those contests against Toronto, giving up 10 goals against. He has only 11 wins to his credit since the start of the 2016-17 season, and three have been earned against the Leafs.

“I think all their D can really move, then they’ve got big heavy forwards up front that can make plays. They finish checks,” Matthews said of the Blue Jackets. “That always presents a challenge, especially in the D-zone. Guys like [Boone] Jenner, they’re big guys, they play down low, they cycle the puck and they’re so strong, so that tends to wear on the D and the forwards down low. We want to make sure we’re breaking out clean and making sure we get in front of those guys so we have time to break out.”

While the Blue Jackets may be in a scoring slump, tallying just five goals in their last four games, the Leafs won’t let that fact offer too much extra confidence.

“They’re a very good team; they find ways to win games,” said Rielly. “I don’t think when it comes to scoring and speed and talent that they’re in trouble there. I think they have lots of skill, lots of speed. Teams go through droughts for sure, but it won’t be a main focus for us. They’re a good team, we have to be ready.”

Projected lines vs. Columbus:

Hyman-Matthews-Nylander

Marleau-Kadri-Komarov

van Riemsdyk-Bozak-Marner

Martin-Gauthier-Brown

 

Rielly-Hainsey

Gardiner-Dermott

Borgman-Polak

 

Andersen (starts)

McElhinney