Maple Leafs have faith Matthews will find scoring touch

The Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators skated at Scotiabank Arena on Saturday. 

Auston Matthews missed Toronto's morning skate, but will play on Saturday night. 

"Just rest," Craig Berube said. 

Is he dealing with anything? 

"Just rest," the Leafs coach reiterated. 

Matthews missed 15 games earlier in the season due to a nagging upper-body injury. He missed a game at the 4 Nations Face-Off after a new issue popped up. 

The reigning Rocket Richard Trophy winner is not scoring like he usually does, which has led to speculation about his health and what he may be playing through. The Leafs did not practice on Friday and it's rare for healthy players to stay off the ice entirely between games. 

"He wants to help the team by putting the puck in the net," Berube said. "Listen, I said it before, he's getting the opportunities. That hasn't really changed from last year. It's just, it's not going in as much this year." 

Matthews scored 69 goals in 81 games last season. He converted on 18.7 per cent of his shots. 

Matthews has scored 23 times in 50 games this year with his shooting percentage dipping to 11.5.   

Berube has consistently praised Matthews' overall game and liked how the 27-year-old held his own against reigning Selke Trophy winner Aleksander Barkov during Thursday's 3-2 loss to the Florida Panthers. 

"He's doing a lot of good things," Berube stressed. "We just got to stick with it. The goal scoring, you know, he's getting the chances. He's got to keep shooting and we need him to play 200 feet."

Matthews has scored just three goals in his last 16 games with only one coming in 5-on-5 play. He also failed to score in three games with Team USA at the 4 Nations Face-Off. 

"He's been playing some great hockey," said winger Mitch Marner. "I think a lot of people just look at us and want us to get points every single night and that's all they care about, but he's been playing a great defensive game. His [penalty killing's] been pretty special for us as well. He means a lot to us on that ice regardless of if he's scoring goals or not. They'll eventually start falling, and that's something you don't gotta worry about, you know it'll come."

During this snakebitten stretch, Matthews actually leads the Leafs with 18 points in 16 games since late January. 

"He's still being a good leader and a good example for all of us," said linemate Matthew Knies. "I need to help him out a little bit more. I think my game has slipped too. So, I got to look to be better.  I think it's all of us in this room that have to take another step and I think we'll be just fine if we do."

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Toronto has dropped four of five games and Berube is shuffling the lines for Saturday's showdown against the Senators. Notably, Matthews and Marner are being split up.  
Matthews will slot in beside Knies and Max Domi, who scored a goal on Thursday while also energizing the crowd with a big hit and fight. 

"It was incredible," Knies said. "The hit, the fight, the goal, you know, that's something you love to see out of him. That's the kind of impact he can make on a game, so I just want to see more of that from him."

Leafs hope this is only the start of a hot streak for playoff-mode Domi

Max Domi levelled Carter Verhaeghe with a big hit before dropping the gloves with Nate Schmidt early in Thursday's game. The Leafs forward scored his fifth goal of the season in the third period.

Marner will reunite with John Tavares, who also scored on Thursday, and Bobby McMann, who is mired in an 11 game goal drought.

"Bobby brings a lot of speed off the left side," Marner said. "He's got a quick release. He's got a great shot. Johnny brings that steadiness of finding quiet ice around the O-zone, putting himself in good spots, gets himself around the net and obviously we all know he's got a great stick. So, for me it's just trying to find them in right areas and trying to find pucks to get the net for good opportunities."

Newly-acquired centre Scott Laughton will start between Swedes Calle Jarnkrok and William Nylander.

"Just mixing it up a little bit," Berube said. "You know, sometimes players get a little stale playing with each other for quite some time. And it kind of gives us a little bit more depth on three lines."

Nylander now finds himself on the third line despite ranking second in the league with 36 goals. 

"Highly skilled," said Laughton. "Very explosive, sees the ice really well and can rip it. He's special."

Nick Robertson draws back in on the fourth line beside Pontus Holmberg and Steven Lorentz. 

David Kampf will be a healthy scratch for the first time since October. 

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The Leafs just wrapped up a stretch that saw them play 11 of 13 games on the road. In the middle of that, Matthews and Marner competed in best-on-best hockey at the 4 Nations Face-Off in Montreal and Boston.

"It's tough, to be honest," Marner said of the marathon road trip. "It's nice to be home, I mean, just be in your own bed, be your own house and just relaxing in your own personal space. So, yeah, it's really nice at home."

Friday's day off was the first one for Marner and Matthews at home since Jan. 27. 

"I think our coaches and our team’s been pretty understandable with what obviously happened the last six weeks," Marner said. "So, I'm trying to get as much rest as I can off the ice. It's not been too much for me to do off the ice. So, just been kind of chilling, going for walks, and that's really about it."

Marner also dealt with some drama around the trade deadline as Leafs management approached the pending unrestricted free agent to see if he would be interested in waiving his no-move clause to go to the Carolina Hurricanes, who were shopping Mikko Rantanen.

Marner had emotion in his voice as he addressed what happened following a loss in Denver on March 8. In his first media session since then, Marner was asked what sort of impact the development had on him. 

"Hockey-wise, nothing," the 27-year-old stressed. "I mean, I'm just out here playing hockey with these guys and I'm enjoying that."

On Sunday in Utah, general manager Brad Treliving held an impromptu media session to declare he is behind Marner "1,000 per cent."

"It's great," Marner said of the support from his GM. "Like I said, I'm here to play hockey with these guys. I'm excited for that."

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Laughton made his home debut with his hometown team on Thursday. 

"Coming out on the ice, you get the chills hearing that [crowd noise] and going out there," the Oakville, Ont. native said. "So that was really cool. Really cool to be on the other side of it. My brother and dad were at the game, a couple cousins, and about 10 of my buddies, so it was really cool for me. Wish we got the two points and [I] contributed, but another big one tonight and I'm sure it will be the same feeling."

Laughton grew up cheering for the Leafs. His favourite fan moment was being in the house for a playoff game against the Senators. 

On Saturday, the 30-year-old gets to play in the Battle of Ontario. 

"Those are the games I remember coming to as a kid," he said. "I remember the playoffs, how intense it was, so, yeah, try to get in it right away and be physical and provide some value for our team."

Laughton felt Thursday's game, his third with the Leafs, was his best since the trade from Philadelphia. What's the biggest adjustment on the ice? 

"Knowing the spots to go to, different systems and things like that," the former Flyer said. "At the end of the day, it's still the same game, but just little things where you're trying not to overthink it."

Laughton appreciated the chance to catch his breath on Friday after a whirlwind week, which saw him traded by the only NHL team he's ever known. 

"Nice to get away for a day and kind of [get] your mind at ease and come in refreshed today," he said. "So it was big for me and I just walked around a little bit and got some fresh air."

His wife and young son will join Laughton in Toronto next week.

"We'll get all settled and get into our place," he said. "But, yeah, I miss’em and  can't wait for them to come down and come to their first game."

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Anthony Stolarz will start again on Saturday. 

"From the injury and then, you know, the break, just wanted to get him some more games here," Berube said coyly. 

The team has employed a rotation system between Stolarz and Woll since Stolarz returned from a knee injury right before the 4 Nations Face-Off break. 

Stolarz allowed three goals on 25 shots in Thursday's loss to the Panthers. 

"I felt pretty good," he said. "A couple of rebounds got away from me, but they're a big, heavy team that throw a lot of pucks in front ... And, at the end, it kind of boils down to one shot. Got them two more times and just be ready here."

Linus Ullmark will start for the Senators, who have won five straight games. 

"His game's been unbelievable lately," said centre Dylan Cozens. "He's made some saves that I didn't even know were possible to make."

"They're doing a real good job defensively this year," Berube observed. "Ullmark helps in that for them. He's a real good goalie. So, it's going to be a tough game. They're a desperate team, as we should be too. It's going to be another playoff game, in my opinion."

Matthews has scored 11 goals in 10 career games against Ullmark. 

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After sitting out the final six minutes and change during Thursday's win over the Boston Bruins, Senators captain Brady Tkachuk skated in his usual spot on the top line on Saturday morning and will play against the Leafs. 

"He's a big, tough player," said Knies. "Hard to handle. The kind of guy that I like to play like. It's difficult playing against him on a daily basis. So, yeah, he's a good player right now. He has a big impact player for them. So we're going to try to limit his chances and try to keep him quiet."

Tkachuk has hit the scoresheet in the last eight games he's played. 

"He's a typical power forward," Berube said. "Very good at it, obviously, and has a lot of gamesmanship. He's a strong player. Very good player. Real strong down low around the net."

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The Senators have won both previous meeting with the Leafs this season, including a shutout in Toronto back in November. 

"That team's been up and coming for the last two or three years, and you knew they were going to eventually get through that barrier," Marner said. "They got a lot of skill over there. They got a lot of work ethic. We just gotta be ready to match that and give more. We gotta play the patient game, can't be forcing stuff, can't be giving up easy stuff."

"It will be a lot of emotion in the building, which is always exciting," said Senators coach Travis Green. "These are always fun games to play for both teams. As far as what I'm expecting, both teams to play well."

The Leafs have struggled to lock things down defensively lately. The team's forecheck game has also been inconsistent. 

"I still think we're trying to find our identity a little bit," Knies said. "There were spurts of our last game I think we dominated play for a little bit, but I think that there was times we kind of let off the pedal. We're just going to try to play a full 60 minutes today and really get back to our identity."

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Lines at Leafs skate on Saturday: 

F

Knies - Kampf* - Domi
McMann - Tavares - Marner
Jarnkrok - Laughton - Nylander
Lorentz - Holmberg - Robertson

D

McCabe - Tanev
Rielly - Carlo
Benoit - Ekman-Larsson
Myers

G

Stolarz starts 
Woll 

*Placeholder for Matthews 

Lines at Sens skate on Saturday: 

F

Tkachuk - Stützle - Giroux
Perron - Cozens - Batherson
Greig - Pinto - Amadio
Highmore - Gaudette - Zetterlund

D

Sanderson - Zub
Chabot - Hamonic
Kleven - Matinpalo
Gilbert

G

Ullmark starts 
Forsberg