The Maple Leafs have found a way to stay hot without Auston Matthews
The Toronto Maple Leafs continue to climb the standings in the Eastern Conference, and are doing so without captain Auston Matthews. Matthews has missed the last six games dealing with an upper-body injury, meanwhile his Maple Leafs are rolling, posting a 5-1-0 record.
A big reason for Toronto’s recent hot streak has been the play of Anthony Stolarz in goal, along with Leafs’ forward Mitch Marner leading the way offensively. Marner has 10 points in six games without Matthews, and has found some serious chemistry alongside John Tavares and Bobby McMann.
At this point, Matthews isn’t skating, and there hasn’t been much update on his timeline to return. Toronto has a light schedule this week with just two games, including Wednesday when they host the Vegas Golden Knights, and Sunday, when Utah HC makes a visit to Scotiabank Arena.
On today’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Tyler Yaremchuk and Frank Seravalli discussed the Maple Leafs’ hot streak, and how exactly they’ve been able to pile up points without their captain in the lineup.
Yaremchuk: For the Leafs, they end up getting an overtime win (Nov.16 vs. Oilers). It’s been no Auston Matthews, no problem for Toronto. 5-1-0 without their captain in the lineup. And, the goals for totals aren’t really jumping off the page, even though Mitch Marner’s been on an absolute heater. 1.83 goals against per game in that stretch, is wildly impressive.
Seravalli: Yes, and so is Anthony Stolarz, who continues to steal the show. His numbers have been ridiculous, he’s a big reason why the Leafs are eighth in the league in goals against. But, Marner, to your point, has really taken the bull by the horns here. You mentioned the six games that Auston Matthews has missed, 10 points in that stretch. You watch that sequence in OT, and it’s an emphatic statement from Mitch Marner, that he’s someone that can step up and be this team’s best player when Auston Matthews is out.
So, it’s a conversation worth having, again, we don’t know where it goes or what that means moving forward for the long haul. But to me, when you look at the situation that the Leafs are in with Marner, everything that happens in October or November, and even March and April, it doesn’t really matter until you get to the playoffs. That’s when the statement needs to be made. We know that Mitch Marner can deliver in big moments in the regular season, we’ve known that for the last few years, he’s been one of the top-10 or top-20 forwards in the NHL depending on how you want to slice it. But, can you produce in the playoffs? That’s all that matters.
For more on the Maple Leafs hot stretch, Ryan Reaves’ five-game suspension, and the very latest from around the NHL, watch the full episode here.