Quick Shifts: What is behind Auston Matthews’ scoring dip?
Is Auston Matthews ready to break out? Luke Fox explores the Toronto Maple Leafs sniper chase to get his goal-scoring production back up, his early NHL award picks and more in Quick Shifts.
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A quick mix of the things we gleaned from the week of hockey, serious and less so, and rolling four lines deep. Your home for soft tampering, soft hands, and a soft response.
1. The puck isn’t falling the way it used to.
And we’re not just talking about the magical 69-goal season, where hat tricks were as routine as garbage day.
And it’s not only because of his nine-game injury break that Auston Matthews is tied for 83rd in the race for the Rocket Richard, the trophy he has become penciled in to win annually now.
Matthews (9-10–19) is on pace to have more assists than goals for just the second time in his career.
Were he to play the full 82, he’d be on pace for “only” 37 goals. A wonderful number for most NHLers. Not so much for a 27-year-old who has crushed 40 six times and 60 twice.
Thing is, the highest-salaried skater in 2024-25 is paid to produce, and the Toronto Maple Leafs could use a few more red lamps.
Fans know it. The coach knows it. And Matthews himself knows it.
Which is why his OT winner Tuesday in New Jersey was celebrated so emphatically.
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“Yeah, that felt really good,” Matthews said.
A bunch of reasons could explain the captain’s goal dip. The most obvious is the drop in shooting percentage, from a career-high 18.7 in the 69-goal campaign to a career-low 10.6.
There’s the undisclosed injury, the team’s slumping power play, and an adjustment to a new coach’s system that has deemphasized puck possession and rush chances.
Eventually, though, Matthews will break out.
Right?
“Well, I’m not concerned with it. I’d be concerned more if he wasn’t getting opportunities. I think he’s playing good hockey. He’s playing 200 feet defensively — faceoffs, killing penalties. He’s doing a lot of good stuff,” Craig Berube says. “Yes, we need him to produce — and he will.”
The coach praises the superstar’s willingness to take pucks hard to the net, to up his physicality and battle against the opposition’s top lines.
“So, he’s doing a lot of good stuff. And I get that we need him to score,” Berube says. “But I’m not concerned about it. It’ll go in.”
2. The Maple Leafs considered returning to Toronto between last Saturday’s game in Pittsburgh and Tuesday’s game in New Jersey, but surely their head coach appreciated the direct flight to the Newark area and a rare Sunday at home.
Despite signing a four-year deal with Toronto, home, in Berube’s mind, is still New Hope, Pennsylvania — on the Jersey border, about an hour’s drive from the Prudential Center.
The rest of the Berubes have remained there while Craig devotes his time to the Maple Leafs. It was the same deal with the Blues. And much easier, of course, when he was on the Flyers bench.
“It’s great to see the family, the kids and the wife, and just spend some time with them — because I don’t see them very often. So nice, relaxing day. It would have been better if we won a game,” Berube said, referencing the Penguins loss.
“It’s hard. I mean, I’ve done it for a while now, right? St Louis was the same situation. So, you get used to it. I always say it’s harder on them, the kids and the wife, than anybody else.
“You know, it’s difficult for me too. But if you choose to do this, that’s some of the situations you could be in.”
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3. NHL Awards at the 33.3 per cent Mark!
We’re roughly one third of the way through this gauntlet, so let’s give you a sneak peek at our awards leaders…
Hart Trophy: Kirill Kaprizov. (The greatest reason why no one is whining about the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyouts crippling Minnesota’s season.)
Norris Trophy: Quinn Hughes. (By a hair over Cale Makar, and something tells me this race will jockey down to the wire.)
Calder Trophy: Matvei Michkov. (But we’re keeping a close eye on Macklin Celebrini; San Jose’s stud is the rear-view mirror, and objects are closer than they appear.)
Selke Trophy: Sam Reinhart. (He’s burning the opposition at both ends of the rink, and it is high time a winger snatched this award.)
Vezina Trophy: Connor Hellebuyck. (One of the rare workaholics left thriving at the position.)
Jack Adams Award: Spencer Carbery. (No expectations, no Ovechkin, no problem.)
4. Quote of the Week.
“I guess times have changed. Because in my days, if my team would have done that to me, I would break a stick in that room.” —New York Islanders coach Patrick Roy, heated after watching his New York Islanders let a 5-1 lead slip to 5-4 win over Chicago.
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5. The move from Las Vegas to NashVegas has been smoother for James, Victoria, Will, and Henry John Marchessault than it has been for their dad.
“Oh, that’s the easy part. They’re so easy to adjust. They have their friends,” Jonathan Marchessault says. “We’re lucky. We joined a street that has a park, and all the houses have kids. It’s been so great. Like, they go to each other’s houses, and they play together all day, every weekend.”
Marchesseault grew up in Cap-Rouge, Que. He still spends his summers in La Belle Province. He likes that Tennessee has four seasons. Trees and grass, not just cacti. He sold his place in the Vegas suburbs and bought one in Nashville.
“I love the weather there,” he says. “People are genuine, you know? It’s, like, the Southern way. I really like that. The city is unbelievable. Teammates have been unbelievable….”
There is a but coming.
“Production on the ice been a little sloppy, for sure. Everyone on the team would like to be in a different situation.”
Crazy that Christmas trees are decorated and the Predators — a 2024 playoff team that won free agency — have the fewest wins in the entire league (eight).
A dressing room lined with nameplates like Marchessault, Stamkos, Josi, Saros, Forsberg, O’Reilly, Skeji, and Nyquist over the stalls.
“There’s a lot more it than just the names, right? At the end of the day, we got to find a way to win some hockey games with the guys that were have in that locker room,” Marchessault says.
“It’s not impossible. I think what will take is, I need to start producing more, for sure.”
Marchessault ripped a career-high 42 goals and 69 points last season, pricing himself out of the city where he won the Conn Smythe. He’s on pace for 19 and 46 this season. A career-high 15.8 shooting percentage has morphed into a career-low 7.6.
On the ice, going from gold to mustard has been “a big adjustment” for the father of four. The winger estimates that it took him, Jack Eichel and Ivan Barbashev nearly a year to find real chemistry as a line.
These Preds don’t have that kind of time, nor that calibre of centre, and coach Andrew Brunette is scrambling under pressure. Blending and mixing and threatening to scratch.
“I think we have the right tools. We just have to be more connected, be more on the same page, and know everybody’s tendencies to be successful,” Marchessault laments.
“Chemistry is hard to find.” “Every year is different, and it’s a period of adjustment for sure.”
Marchessault still texts with his “lifetime friends” in the desert, whose names are etched around his on the Stanley Cup, but he’s determined to make work in Nashville.
“Same as Stammer. Like, he’s a goal scorer, right?” captain Roman Josi says. “They haven’t gone in for him as much as he would like to, but you can tell it’s just a matter of time.”
Brunette recognizes the switch as a difficult process.
“You change in teams, and he’s used to a certain way and playing with certain players. And here we’re built a little different. Not the same type of players maybe,” Brunette says.
“So, we have to find different ways to score. And we’re working on it. He obviously has the big-game skill that we all know. We just got to try to get him in certain areas of the ice where he could take advantage of it.”
6. When was the last time a contending club turned over both its goaltenders via trade between training camp and the staff Christmas party?
When was the last time such a drastic double move was so necessary?
Somehow, the Colorado Avalanche have remained relevant — a respectable 16thl-overall place and firmly in the wild-card race — despite its horrendous .866 team save percentage, which rates dead last in the league.
Some excellent proactive work by GM for shipping out Alex Georgiev and completely revamping his tandem in net.
Mackenzie Blackwood (.911) and new backup Scott Wedgewood (.904) are both enjoying well-above-average seasons.
Not only will the Avs benefit from better technical performances in the pipes, but the morale boost to the room — that management isn’t willing to waste a season and is being aggressive in solving problems — should be immeasurable.
7. On the topic of team save percentages: The Anaheim Ducks, backed by Lukas Dostal and John Gibson, rank fifth overall in the category with a sparkling .907.
And yet the team sits 29th overall (.429 points percentage) and is a disaster in nearly every position but net.
Frightening to imagine where the Ducks might be without their elite goaltending.
8. Is it a coincidence that a few days after John Tortorella sounded off on diving that Ottawa’s Josh Norris got slapped with an embellishment fine?
Norris was the second diver punished this season (Edmonton’s Jeff Skinner was the other), and it’s early December.
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Players who get fined and called out publicly as a flopper need two infractions.
Last season, the first diving fine wasn’t issued until Feb. 27 (Nick Cousins).
Are NHLers going out of their way to draw whistles? Or is the league cracking down harder on the actors’ guild?
“One thing I teach my team to do is not to dive. Maybe I should start teaching them that,” Tortorella popped off, a soft accusation of the Boston Bruins last weekend.
“The way this has gone here, the way it goes on, maybe I should start teaching them how to dive.”
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9. In addition to discussing labour relations and video review and the most prudent way to escalate the salary cap, commissioner Gary Bettman met with broadcast partners and Wayne Gretzky at this week’s board of governors summit to begin planning the night Alex Ovechkin snaps his all-time goals record. (That would be Gretzky’s record, not Bettman’s.)
A super healer, Ovechkin has already resumed skating after fracturing his fibula and could return before the ball drops.
The plan is for Gretzky and Bettman to begin following Ovechkin and the Capitals once No. 8 creeps within five goals of Gretzky’s 894. It’s not inconceivable for the record to fall late this season.
The Great One has never forgotten Gordie Howe’s willingness to shadow him while he hunted goal No. 802.
“It’s great for the game. Hopefully, I’m there to shake his hand the night he breaks the record,” Gretzky, who texts Ovechkin semi-regularly, told those in Florida.
“He’s human. He’ll get a little bit nervous near the end, but he’s been nothing but positive for our sport.”
The Brantford, Ont., native also offered his take on February’s 4 Nations Face-Off: “The Americans are a very good team, and maybe I’m biased, but I think the Canadians match up really well against the Americans.”
10. As hard a forechecker as Steven Lorentz is, the 6-foot-4, 210-pound checker goes about his business smartly.
The guy hasn’t taken a single penalty since joining the Leafs and only has 42 PIMs over 259 career games.
Not too shabby for a guy who leads all Maple Leafs with 71 hits.
“He’s been physical. He’s one of the hit leaders on our team. He doesn’t get his stick in bad areas, and he skates,” Berube says. “When you take penalties, you’re reaching from behind or you’re not skating, moving your feet, and your sticks are in bad spots, whether you high-stick guy or trip him or hook him.
“He’s been clean that way, with not taking those penalties, which is good.”
11. Kind of surprised that no one team took a flyer on 35-year-old right-shot defenceman Kevin Shattenkirk in free agency.
Respected around the league, Shattenkirk hung up his skates this week, just 48 games shy of a silver stick and 16 points shy of 500.
Beloved by teammates at all seven stops along the journey, the offensive defenceman was one of the most accommodating and insightful players to interview.
Never saw him duck an opportunity to promote the game or offer his insight.
Farewell to a class act.
12. Loved the creativity in Philadelphia’s win over Detroit Thursday.
Few decisions are more electrifying, especially when executed successfully, than a player opting to go full clapper on a breakaway.
Here Scott Laughton unloads a puck clean past Cam Talbot on a solo rush, and the hockey gods rewarded his gumption with three more goals and this season’s first four-goal showing:
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Also that night, rookie scoring leader Matvei Michkov attempted the Michigan in game action — right under the nose of the most notorious anti-Michiganite.
“I don’t think it should be in our game, but I’ve lost that battle,” Tortorella told reporters.
The Flyers coach has tried talking to the super freshman about how the lacrosse wraparound often leads to turnovers, how Michkov can create Grade-A scoring chances by passing from behind the net.
Evidently, the kid isn’t taking the advice, and Michkov has managed to out-stubborn Tortorella.
“I’ve lost the damn battle with that,” Tortorella conceded. “I’m not going to try to fight it.”
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