TAMPA, Fla. — Auston Matthews exhaled audibly, letting evident frustration out for a gaggle of reporters and by extension the hockey world to listen to, earlier than cracking a smile. He rapidly got here to phrases with that frustration in a manner solely a mature nice of the sport might.
It was simply minutes after Matthews’ common season had ended and he might confidently have fun successful his third Rocket Richard Trophy because the NHL’s main aim scorer. In some alternate universe, the second would have referred to as for optimistic reflection, or possibly even celebration.
However all Matthews was being requested about and thus all he might seemingly take into consideration was falling in need of turning into the ninth participant in NHL historical past to attain 70 objectives in a season.
The Leafs centre’s aim tally would end at 69. Spectacular for one of the best aim scorer within the recreation proper now, when zooming out? Completely. However undoubtedly disappointing all the identical contemplating the efforts of each him and his whole workforce to attempt to get him to 70 within the Leafs’ ultimate recreation of the season.
“I wished it, for certain,” Matthews mentioned, his smile rising, of 70 objectives. “But it surely simply wasn’t meant to be.”
There was different stuff that occurred in an odd and finally meaningless 6-4 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, by the best way. The Leafs had been outworked in nearly each side of the sport by the Lightning, giving up a minimum of 5 objectives for the fourth recreation in a row. Pontus Holmberg scored a nifty aim that served as a reminder of the offence he can carry ought to he nab a spot within the playoff lineup. The Leafs’ fourth line mixed for 5 factors. Heck, there was even a Cade Webber sighting with the workforce as his signing as a free agent seems imminent.
However none of that mattered the best way making an attempt to get Matthews his seventieth aim did.
“I couldn’t let you know the rating in any of these video games, together with the one which simply completed,” Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe mentioned when requested about his concern stage having misplaced 4 video games in a row heading into the playoffs.
All the focus in Sport 82 was pushing one of the best Leafs participant of all time into vaunted territory.
All recreation, as Matthews’ dad and mom Brian and Ema watched eagerly from the stands, their son’s linemates made concerted efforts to search for him within the offensive zone.
“Perhaps a bit bit,” linemate Tyler Bertuzzi mentioned when requested if there have been conversations about making an attempt to feed Matthews. “However everybody is aware of, that’s the man you’re in search of. You may see on the finish, everybody was making an attempt to get him the puck as a lot as attainable, irrespective of the place he was.”
Within the third interval, T.J. Brodie broke a 111-game aim drought, the longest lively goalless run within the NHL, by firing a degree shot previous Matthews and into the Lightning internet. As a lot as Brodie was most likely glad to toss the monkey off his again and into a budget seats, would he have most well-liked Matthews had tipped the puck into the online as a substitute?
“100%,” Brodie mentioned.
Teammates understood the mission in Amalie Area: assist their boy get that aim.
“You may see it tonight. (The Lightning) knew we had been making an attempt to set (Matthews) up. And he nonetheless had a ton of seems to be,” Brodie mentioned.
Keefe even pulled Leafs goalie Martin Jones whereas down three objectives late within the third to get the additional skater. In doing so, he allowed Matthews an awfully lengthy shift: two minutes and 35 seconds.
Even when John Tavares scored on that shift with Matthews in entrance of the online, the Leafs captain’s celebration was decidedly muted.
When Matthews returned to the bench, he and Keefe shared a second; with 34 seconds remaining on the clock, Keefe spoke pointedly and proudly as he patted Matthews on the again a number of instances.
“For an everyday season to return to an finish like that, he’s performed so tremendously effectively. I do know clearly there’s been loads of give attention to the pursuit of 70 objectives. However in that you simply sort of lose sight of simply how effectively he’s performed. He’s taking part in effectively, feeling effectively. And it’s been enjoyable to look at,” Keefe mentioned.
For his personal half, Matthews fired 12 (!) pictures on aim and had 16 shot makes an attempt. His greatest probability got here within the third interval, straight in entrance of Lightning goalie Matt Tomkins as he got here up from being down on one knee with the puck and fired a shot off the crossbar.
So, so shut.
“It’s been enjoyable,” Keefe mentioned of watching Matthews chase 70 objectives. “Clearly (it) makes my job simpler in some senses. In some methods makes it more durable. I’m making an attempt to handle his minutes and handle the workforce and such, but in addition making an attempt to assist him, assist the trigger and all that sort of stuff via this final little bit.”
The Maple Leafs went out of their solution to attempt to get Matthews his milestone aim on Wednesday. (Kim Klement Neitzel / USA Right now)
So whereas each member of the group was pulling for Matthews, from the surface, his aim scoring run this season deserves to be celebrated partially due to how he dealt with it. It by no means felt just like the chase wore heavy on the workforce, or as if Matthews himself was pushing the heaviest of rocks up the hill. Matthews’ chase turned enthralling theatre, watching him circle via the impartial and offensive zones like a shark about to feed on its prey. Matthews was at all times hungry for extra objectives, and the exuberance he confirmed when he scored his sixtieth aim was a reminder of how a lot pleasure discovering the again of the online introduced him and his teammates.
Outdoors of the workforce, the chatter in regards to the Leafs is at all times about how they’ll be judged on what they do within the postseason. Matthews’ aim scoring run was a reminder of how the common season nonetheless issues to gamers and to the workforce.
Matthews is barely 26, safely in his prime, and will very effectively push for 70 (or extra!) once more subsequent season and past.
However the recreation is unusual, and unpredictable issues occur each season. And so whereas it was occurring, Matthews’ season deserves to be positioned among the many pantheon of historic seasons by a Toronto-based athlete and likewise among the many nice single seasons within the NHL’s post-expansion period.
Matthews’ 69-goal season is much more spectacular when you think about that the common NHL workforce scored 3.11 objectives per recreation heading into Wednesday evening’s video games. Each season during which a participant has scored 70 objectives has featured a median objectives per recreation increased than that tally.
So, yeah. It’s tough to attain so persistently within the NHL!
However Matthews did, and that’s why he smiled as a rule when assessing his season.
“For myself individually, I wish to take one other step,” Matthews mentioned of his season.
You may forgive Matthews had he addressed his chase with that aforementioned frustration. The greats are wired in another way and are relentless of their singular pursuit of success.
However as a substitute, when Matthews spoke postgame he confirmed no indicators of pettiness or anger.
“He’s only a professional,” Brodie mentioned of Matthews. “He stays fairly even keel.”
Again arched and forward-thinking, Matthews sounded an increasing number of just like the unquestioned chief of this Leafs workforce he’s destined to be.
“For myself, as we glance ahead, you flip the web page. Crucial factor is the workforce and the workforce success and ensuring that I’m pulling my weight,” Matthews mentioned.
There’s little doubt he did simply that with a Hart Trophy-calibre common season.
To some, what Matthews achieves within the playoffs will outline his 2023-24 season.
A minimum of throughout the Leafs themselves, it won’t. Matthews’ teammates had a front-row seat to among the finest single seasons in latest reminiscence and if they might, they most likely would have wished to be munching on popcorn and sitting again in amazement watching him rating objectives like the remainder of the hockey world.
“What an unimaginable yr to look at reside,” Mark Giordano mentioned of Matthews’ season.
But when Matthews has his manner, there will probably be extra objectives to return.
Sure, getting 70 objectives mattered to him. Sure, he was upset, however solely barely, that he didn’t hit that tally.
And sure, he believes he can nonetheless maintain discovering the again of the online towards the Boston Bruins within the first spherical of the playoffs starting Saturday. To him, pulling his weight means “doing what I can as a pacesetter on this workforce, individually to assist the workforce win particularly as we go into the postseason.”
“That’s the place my mindset has been all yr,” Matthews mentioned.
(Photograph: Mike Carlson / Getty Photographs)
