With strong performance on Saturday, Matthews ready to lead Maple Leafs

Auston Matthews is ready for the regular season. The star centre scored one of his classic one-timer goals in Toronto's preseason finale on Saturday night. He also made a beautiful play to set up the game-winning goal by John Tavares. 

"Just doing what he does," Tavares said of Matthews' brilliant game. "When he gets time and space he can pull something out of his bag of tricks."

Matthews missed his previously scheduled preseason start due to an upper-body issue, but quickly got into a rhythm during his second and final exhibition outing of training camp.

"I felt much better in the second, third period," the 27-year-old confirmed. "Started to get our legs under us."

"He skated really well," said head coach Craig Berube. "Defensively, he was excellent. He did a great job down low in our own zone at the end of the game at 6-on-5. Really good job. He was strong on pucks and is moving well. It was good to see."

The Leafs won their final four preseason games, and there are a lot of positive developments, but Matthews has to be right near the top of the list. He is facing big expectations after scoring 69 goals last season and earning a first nomination for the Selke Trophy. The Arizona native is also serving as captain for the first time.

"I'm looking forward to watching him grow as a leader," said goalie Joseph Woll. "He's a special player and the natural next step for someone like that is learning what it takes to lead a group of men. I'm excited to watch that."

The Leafs are hoping the new letter on his chest will amplify Matthews' greatness and allow it to influence the team even more. If there's any added pressure on the reigning Rocket Richard Trophy winner, he's not showing it. 

"He's just laidback," observed forward Steven Lorentz, who attended Leafs training camp on a professional tryout. "He just does his thing, and that's what you want out of a guy like that."

That thing includes a tireless work ethic. 

Veteran winger Max Pacioretty noticed that Matthews and winger William Nylander hit the ice before practice on Friday to put in some extra work. 

"Put out a bag of pucks and worked on their edges and their shooting," said Pacioretty, who also attended camp on a professional tryout. "But, I mean, like, full speed. Like, 100 per cent."

Pacioretty, who is entering his 17th NHL season, refers to this Leafs core as the hardest-working one he's ever been around. Matthews is the face of that group. 

"There's not many guys as dialed in as him on a daily basis with how he works on his game and how driven he is with his craft," Tavares said. 

The former captain quickly adds that Matthews is driven to be a difference maker. 

"He's really wanting that responsibility," Tavares said. 

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Both the Matthews goal and the Tavares goal on Saturday came on the power play, which is being run by new assistant coach Marc Savard this season. 

"There's a lot of flow," Matthews said. "The direction is to have some structure, but at the same time read off each other."

There's a new coach overseeing things, but not much has truly changed. 

"I don't think he's instilled, really, too many things that have been different from the past and trying to reinvent the wheel," said Tavares. "He really wants us to play off our instincts. Our group has played so long together, there's such a good sense of how we play."

The Leafs will start the season with the same personnel on the top unit with Morgan Rielly and Mitch Marner joining Matthews, Nylander and Tavares. It was Marner who made a nice set up on the Matthews goal and a key play to keep the puck alive before the Tavares goal. 

Assistant coaches are not available for interviews, but Berube likes what he's seeing for the most part. 

"They are moving the puck around well," said Berube. "Could we shoot a few more pucks and be a little bit more direct at times? Probably."

The Leafs power play converted on four of 10 chances in the three pre-season games in which the majority of NHL regulars suited up.

Despite dry spells in the playoffs, the new coaches in Toronto are cognizant that this power-play unit has been among the best in the NHL in the regular season over the last few years. 

"It's scary," said Lorentz, who has been taking reps on the penalty kill. "I'm just happy I'm on this side of it now. The way those guys move the puck around, they just see things that most people don't." 

The members of the top unit are given the freedom to move all over the ice, which makes it hard to defend.   

"It's, like, how do you know what position each guy's playing because they're all so versatile," noted Pacioretty. "They move around the ice so well."

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Woll stopped 18 of 20 shots while playing his first full game of the preseason on Saturday.

"Good to get back in the swing of playing and kind of get those details back," he said. "It was a bit of a mixed game. I had a little bit of action, I had some time with not much action, so it was good to mentally stay in it."

Woll went more than 25 minutes of game time without seeing a shot as the Leafs tilted the ice against an undermanned Red Wings team. 

"He made some really good saves there," Berube said. "There were a couple where he got [across] early in the game. He never had a lot of action, but he was solid."

It was the first game action for Woll since he logged a little over 30 minutes in the team's preseason opener on Sept. 22. Berube declined to explain why the team decided to manage Woll's workload this way, but stressed it had nothing to do with the medical staff. Woll also made only two appearances in last year's pre-season. 

Woll allowed three goals on 23 shots against the Ottawa Senators in his first exhibition game, so his preseason save percentage (.884) doesn't look great. But Woll insists he feels good. 

"I feel really comfortable with how my game is from a technical standpoint," he said. "I also feel pretty sound in my mind. Those are kind of the two big things. I'm happy to get going." 

"You could just see his game rise to another level," said Tavares, "and getting back into form. There's no doubt he's set up really well." 

Woll is in line to make his first ever season-opening start for the Leafs on Wednesday in Montreal. After signing a three-year extension, which doesn't kick in until next year, big things are expected from the Missouri native. 

"I think very highly of him," said Matthews, who headlined Woll's draft class in 2016. "He's a stud and I think he's going to have a great year for us."

Woll twice took over as Toronto's No. 1 goalie last season but his momentum was derailed by a pair of injuries. He's only made 34 regular season starts in the NHL. 

"I think his main focus is just to stay as healthy as possible and continue to build his game and his confidence," noted Matthews. 

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Lorentz opened the scoring for the Leafs on Saturday night. 

"I blacked out a little bit there just knowing that things have come full circle," the 28-year-old from Kitchener, Ont. said. "Coming to this rink as a kid and watching as a young guy and then being able to do that and be able to put my arms over my head, it was a pretty special feeling. That all started with a good hard-working shift, so hopefully there's more of that to come." 

Lorentz seems to have fit in well beside David Kampf and Ryan Reaves on what projects to be Toronto's fourth line to start the season. It was Reaves who set up Lorentz for Saturday's goal. 

"He's just a bowling ball out there," Lorentz said with a smile. "We kind of think the same way. It's so nice when you got guys that are on the same page. I know what I'm going to get from him and, talking to him, he knows what he's going to get from me, and Kampfer too. When you got three guys that are all committed to their role good things happen."

With the Leafs other lines struggling to gain traction early on Saturday, it was the fourth unit that got things on track. 

"They were great," said Berube. "Very good. I know they got a goal, but they just controlled the play and made it tough on the other team by ragging pucks in the offensive zone and checking well. That's what we need. They're a big line."

Lorentz, who only scored one goal in 38 games with the Florida Panthers last season, is quick to stress that offence won't be the focus for his line. Teammates appreciate his self-awareness and positivity. 

"I think he knows his role to a tee," said Matthews. "He plays to it every night and that's really important to have guys like that. He's made a great impression. Off the ice,  he's got a great attitude and comes to the rink with lots of jump."

With an impressive camp in the books, Lorentz is hoping to put pen to paper and sign a deal with his hometown team. 

"I did my part and we'll see what happens," Lorentz said. "I'm happy with the way I played. It's a deep team and they have a lot of hard decisions to make and that's a good sign."

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Jake McCabe missed Saturday's game with an upper-body injury. Berube said there's a "good chance" the defenceman will be ready to rejoin practice on Monday. 

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Leafs lines in Saturday's pre-season game: 

Knies - Matthews - Marner 
Domi - Tavares - Nylander 
McMann - Holmberg - Pacioretty 
Lorentz - Kampf - Reaves  

Rielly - Tanev 
Ekman-Larsson - Myers 
Benoit - Timmins  

Woll 
Stolarz