Leafs coach makes his thoughts on Auston Matthews' scoring struggles extremely clear

By ARJUN B

Modified Dec 13, 2024 10:30 GMT

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Leafs coach Craig Berube made his thoughts on Auston Matthews' scoring struggles very clear following Toronto's 3-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday night.

Matthews has only scored four goals after returning from an upper-body injury that had sidelined him nine games. When asked if he was concerned about Matthews' lack of finishing ability recently, Berube said:

"I am not concerned with it. I would be more concerned if he wasn’t getting the opportunities. He is playing good hockey. He is playing 200 feet defensively, winning faceoffs, and killing penalties. He is doing a lot of good stuff for the team."

Berube acknowledged that the team needs Matthews to produce offensively but emphasized that goals will come as long as he continues doing the things right.

"Yes, we need him to produce, and he will. Sometimes, they don’t go in, but he is getting the looks. He is taking pucks to the net hard. He is playing a physical game.”

The coach emphasized that Matthews' overall game remains very strong, even as he struggles to finish. He noted that Matthews is playing great defensively, dominating faceoffs, killing penalties and contributing in many ways beyond just scoring.

For the Leafs, Max Pacioretty (two goals) and William Nylander scored. Jackson LaCombe and Frank Vatrano tallied goals for the Ducks. Anaheim goaltender Lukas Dostal made 30 saves in the losing effort.

Toronto starter Anthony Stolarz left early with a lower-body injury after making just seven saves, while his backup, Joseph Woll, made 19 saves of 20 shots.

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Craig Berube's comments about the Maple Leafs' 3-2 win over the Ducks

Following the Maple Leafs' 3-2 victory over the Anaheim Ducks, coach Craig Berube was pleased with the team's performance, particularly in the third period.

"Pretty good game. A really good third with the lead. We only gave up one chance in the third. We had a lot of opportunities to score,and didn’t put it in the net enough, but I thought our game was pretty good." Berube said.

Specifically, Berube was happy with the Leafs' ability to get pucks to the net with traffic in front.

"We did a good job. We scored some good goals around the net. Our shot attempts were way up, as we talked about. 30 or more hit the net. It was a lot of good stuff that way.

Toronto will next face the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday night at Little Caesars Arena.