Healthy Matthews poised to be playoff game breaker for Leafs

The Maple Leafs held an optional practice on Friday at Ford Performance Centre. 

Auston Matthews scored a career-low 33 goals this season, but Brad Treliving disputes the idea that the Leafs centre experienced a down year. 

"We talk about a 'down year' because he didn't score 69 goals," Toronto's general manager said. "I think he's led our team. We've talked a little bit about a change, some tweaks in how we play, I think Auston has been front and centre of leading that way."

Matthews immediately embraced the north-south system installed by new coach Craig Berube this season. 

"We’re playing much more direct," Matthews noted. "I wouldn’t say, like, the style’s changed dramatically, but there’s definitely certain areas and parts of the game that we’ve keyed on and tried to be better in and [put] more of an emphasis on [with] just playing more direct and physical." 

While adapting to the new structure, Matthews faced adversity right at the start of the season. The Arizona native sustained an upper-body injury during training camp and eventually needed to miss 15 games to deal with the issue. The 27-year-old actually visited Germany at one point to work with a doctor there. 

Despite the nagging injury, Matthews still produced 78 points in 67 games and, in his first season as captain, led the Leafs to their first-ever Atlantic Division title. 

"He shoots it in the net as good as anybody, but what he does away from the puck sets the standard for everybody else," Treliving said. "We can say, 'OK, his goal scoring may be down.' I think his overall game is as good as I've ever seen it. Now, I've seen him for two years now, and he's been a top player ever since I got here and long before that, but ... how we have to check and play 200 feet of the ice, he's set the standard for us."

Behind a strong goaltending tandem, Toronto allowed 2.79 goals per game this season, which ranked eighth overall. Last year, the Leafs allowed 3.18 goals per game, which ranked 21st. 

While strong defensive play is important, the Leafs will likely need Matthews to produce to go deep in the playoffs. The Leafs have advanced to the second round just once in the eight seasons since drafting Matthews first overall and a lack of offence has been a big reason why. 

But it looks like the three-time Rocket Richard Trophy winner is ramping up at the right time this year. Matthews scored in three straight games to end the regular season. 

"He might be the rare player that feels a little better at the end of the season than he did for most of the season," said TSN Hockey Insider Chris Johnston. 

"It feels good," Matthews said when asked about the play of his line. "We’ve had a good stretch over the last couple weeks. I think the style of play we’ve been playing is suitable for the postseason, just being direct, making sure we’re forechecking well, taking care of the pucks when we have to, and just doing the right things in both ends."

Matthews, who missed a game at the 4 Nations Face-Off in February to rest another upper-body issue, seems to be skating and moving around the ice with more comfort than earlier in the season. 

"That’s been a lot better for him through March and into April," said Johnston. "He may have the typical bumps and bruises at the end of a season that still included a fair number of games, but I do think that he’s feeling at his best in terms of being able to be a game breaker for the Leafs as this playoff begins." 

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Matthews missed the first game of the season series with the Senators in November. He was held off the scoresheet in a game in Ottawa back in January. Matthews did score in the final meeting between the teams in March, but it was an open-net look after a bad turnover by Linus Ullmark. 

Toronto's top line of Matthews, Mitch Marner and Matthew Knies did not see much time together against the Senators this season. During the January game, Bobby McMann skated with Matthews and Marner, and in the March game Matthews and Marner started on separate lines. 

Like Matthews, Marner is entering the playoffs on a high. He hit 100 points for the first time in his career. 

"Mitch has had a fabulous year," Treliving said. "As you guys all know, we've had a lot of injuries. There was a stretch where we had a lot of guys out. It was November, maybe, December, and Mitch really held the fort for us ... There where he really kept things on the rails for us. And, to me, that's sort of a microcosm of his year."

Marner played at a high level despite being in the final year of his contract. The 27-year-old from Markham, Ont. never let that become a distraction.  

"He's been a leader," Treliving said. "He's been a top player, and I think he's in a real good spot."

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Toronto lost all three games to Ottawa this season, but the last game between the teams on March 15 may have been a turning point. The Leafs surged down the stretch after that setback going 13-2-1. Marner led the way with 22 points during the hot streak while Matthews racked up 21.  

"A lot of positivity moving forward here," Matthews said. "Just gotta get prepared and get the mind in the right space to obviously compete. It’s going to be a hard series."

The Leafs enter the series as the favourites after finishing 11 points ahead of the Senators. 

The Leafs have made the playoffs in nine straight seasons with Matthews and Marner while this Senators core will be competing for the Stanley Cup for the first time after ending the franchise's seven-year playoff drought. 

The teams will be facing off in the playoffs for the first time since 2004. 

"The Battle of Ontario I think kind speaks for itself," said Matthews, who started his career with a record-setting four-goal game in Ottawa. "It’s been a long time and two very proud cities, proud franchises so I think we know what we’re in for. It’s going to be a tough series. It’s going to be a hard series. We just got to mentally prepare for that."

The Senators also have a new coach this season and under Travis Green, they have improved defensively. Ottawa allowed 2.83 goals per game this season, which ranked 13th overall. Last year, the Senators allowed 3.43 goals per game, which ranked 28th. 

"I know Travis has really instilled a real defensive conscience," said Treliving. "They check, and to have success you have to check, and they do. And then you've got a Vezina goaltender in the net. So, they present a lot of challenges."

Ullmark won the Vezina Trophy as the league's top goaltender in 2023. He's suited up in 10 playoff games. 

Anthony Stolarz, meanwhile, has never started a game in the Stanley Cup playoffs. The former Panther did make a relief appearance in the Stanley Cup Final last year when Florida's Sergei Bobrovsky was pulled in a Game 4 blowout. 

"What's the old line? Experience is really important unless you don't have it, right," Treliving said with a grin. "He's a good goalie. He's just a really good goalie."

Stolarz led the league in save percentage this season (.926) while playing a career-high 34 games. He finished the year on a high going 8-0-0 with a .950 save percentage after the loss to the Senators on March 15. 

"He's had a good run here," Treliving said. "He got a chance to see it firsthand last year. Yeah, the stakes are bigger and all the rest of it, but it's the same rink and it's the same game starting Sunday as he's been through before."

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The Leafs held an optional practice on Friday with most of the regulars staying off the ice.  

Jake McCabe and Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who missed the end of the season due to injury, both skated. Coach Craig Berube said Thursday that he is "fairly confident" both defencemen will play on Sunday in Game 1.

McCabe has been out since sustaining an upper-body injury on April 2. Ekman-Larsson has been sidelined since suffering an upper-body injury on April 9. 

"It seems pretty certain that McCabe will play," said Johnston. "There’s still a little bit of question about Ekman-Larsson. He’s been ramping back up. He’s considered day-to-day. I don’t think it will be a long-term issue, but we’ll see if he’s able to get to a spot where he’s going to be able to play in the opener. If it’s not the opener then I expect we see him pretty quickly in this series."

If Ekman-Larsson is unable to play, Philippe Myers will remain in the lineup. He hasn't suited up in the postseason since the 2020 bubble year when he was with the Philadelphia Flyers. 

Myers played 37 games with the Leafs this season, including the final seven. He is entering the playoffs on a high after scoring a highlight-reel goal in Thursday's regular season finale against the Detroit Red Wings. 

"I don't even know what happened there, but it's nice to see that one go in for sure," he said with a smile. "I don't know, a little shake and bake and that's it ...  It feels really good to see that one go in, you know, help the confidence a little bit going into playoffs."

After receiving a pass in his usual spot at the top of the offensive zone, Myers deked around Tyler Motte and Austin Watson before beating Cam Talbot five-hole for the 10th goal of his 194-game career, 

"That might be the goal of the year," Berube said with a smile. "I've got to go back and look at it, but I wasn't sure who it was for a while."

"Really nice," said Matthews. "He kept saying once a year he pulls something like that out. He waited to Game 82, but it was really nice." 

"Amazing," defenceman Chris Tanev said. "Highlight of the night, for sure, wherever TSN is."

"It was unbelievable," said forward Scott Laughton with a grin. "I told him I was open backdoor. I had a front-row seat."

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Laughton eventually got his chance as he scored the overtime winner. With the game meaningless in the standings, Berube opted to give some depth players a look in the 3-on-3 session. 

Did Laughton lobby for a shift? 

"I let them know that I was ready, yeah," he said with a grin.

It was his second goal since being acquired by the Leafs and the first one at home. His parents were in the crowd and his newborn son was on the glass for warm-ups. 

"It was a pretty cool feeling," he said. 

There's many more to come as the Oakville, Ont. native gets set for his taste of playoff hockey since 2020 when he was on that same Flyers team as Myers. 

"You see the buzz and how much people care here and that’s what you want in a franchise and to go to battle for," the 30-year-old said. "So, yeah, it’s an exciting time. I haven’t played playoff hockey in a while and this is big for me."

Laughton watched old highlights of the Battle of Ontario in the early 2000s to get geared up. 

"I remember watching guys like Darcy Tucker, Shayne Corson and all those guys," Laughton said. "That was kind of my era of hockey and I thought it was the best era of hockey. It was amazing so really excited to get going."

After a slow start with the Leafs, Laughton seems to be rounding into form while building chemistry with Steven Lorentz and Calle Jarnkrok. 

"He's really come around for us," Berube said. "I thought in Buffalo he was excellent, but before that he was even playing good hockey. Got some chemistry going with those guys. Starting to feel a lot more comfortable. I was happy for him to get that goal on OT.

"Obviously you score a goal, you feel good about yourself, but it's not the goal so much as to how he's playing the game."

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Tanev, who signed a six-year deal with the Leafs in the summer, is another local kid eager to get his first taste of playoff hockey with his hometown team. 

"I think it's the Mecca of hockey," the 35-year-old Toronto native said. "You always see the Maple Leaf Square, and you see all the fans around the city. I think there's always going to be a buzz around the city. People are excited, and even more so that we're playing Ottawa, I think."

Tanev experienced the most recent Battle of Alberta in the playoffs when his Calgary Flames fell to the Edmonton Oilers in 2022.

"Big games, fun games," Tanev recalled. "The province was loud, and people were vocal, fans on both sides. Yeah, those are series that are fun. They're hard. Every little thing matters, and that's what's going to come up here for us."

Treliving was the general manager of the Flames for that 2022 series. 

"It's high emotion, great fan bases," Treliving said. "You know, what makes it great is just the investment, right? The investment the fans make, the investment the players make. We all know in playoffs everything goes to a different level. Like the biggest difference, it's just the emotional investment. And I think when you get a rivalry like this, and it's been a while, right, since the two teams have played in the playoffs, there's just a great investment from everybody involved and everybody around it. So it makes it real fun."

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Ryan Reaves was called up from the American Hockey League on Friday. The veteran winger had been with the Marlies since clearing waivers at the trade deadline on March 7. The Leafs needed to send Reaves, a popular teammate, to the minors to create cap space to bring in Laughton and defenceman Brandon Carlo. 

The cap doesn't exist in the playoffs, which allows teams to carry more players. 

Even when Reaves wasn't with the team, the Leafs still kept his stall in place in the dressing room. 

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Players on the ice at Friday's optional practice:

FORWARDS

Max Domi (skills session with player development staff's Patrick O'Sullivan)
David Kampf 
Max Pacioretty 
Ryan Reaves 

DEFENCE 

Oliver Ekman-Larsson 
Jani Hakanpää
Jake McCabe 
Dakota Mermis

GOALIE
Anthony Stolarz (session with goalie coach Curtis Sanford)