Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews blasted by analyst for scoring woes despite Mitch Marner, $2,775,000 rookie's best efforts

The Florida Panthers won 5-4 in overtime against the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 3 on Friday. Brad Marchand scored the game-winner at 15:27 of overtime. The win helped Florida cut Toronto’s lead in the series to 2-1.

Toronto started strong with a goal from Matthew Knies just 23 seconds into the game. It was the fastest playoff goal for Toronto since 1962. John Tavares scored twice, including a power-play goal. Mitch Marner had two assists, and Auston Matthews also added two assists. But despite the offensive support, Toronto could not close the game.

Florida stayed patient and fought back. Sam Reinhart, Aleksander Barkov, and Carter Verhaeghe helped tie the game. Jonah Gadjovich gave the Panthers a short lead before Morgan Rielly tied it 4-4 in the third period. Marchand ended the game in overtime with a lucky bounce off Rielly.

After the game, much of the focus turned to Auston Matthews. He has only two goals in nine playoff games. JD Bunkis, an NHL analyst, called out Matthews for not scoring when it matters. He said Matthews is paid to score, not just defend or win faceoffs.

Bunkis pointed out that Matthews is still getting help from his teammates. Mitch Marner has been passing him good pucks. Matthew Knies, despite being a rookie, has been working hard too.

Knies, only 22, is on a three-year, $2.775 million contract. He has been playing well and helping his teammates. Matthews, however, has not been producing when needed most.

“Auston Matthews isn’t paid to be a defensive player, he’s not Philippe Danault, okay? He’s Auston Matthews,” Bunkis said. “....He’s not producing offensively. He’s missing the net in critical moments, even when teammates like Matthew Knies are working their a**es off to set him up.”

The analyst said star players face strong defenders in the playoffs. That’s expected. But Matthews needs to score. Toronto’s strategy depends on its top players leading the offense. Right now, Matthews is not doing that.

“This team is built around a core of four guys outproducing the other team’s stars. And right now, the guy wearing the ‘C’ is leaving a massive hole in their offense,” Bunkis added.

The Maple Leafs need Matthews to step up in Game 4. Without his goals, it will be hard for Toronto to win the series.

Toronto Maple Leafs show calm and maturity in playoffs, says Elliotte Friedman

On Friday’s episode of the "32 Thoughts Podcast," NHL analyst Elliotte Friedman said the Maple Leafs now handle pressure better. He noted that Coach Craig Berube has kept the group steady, even with early problems and injuries.

“The biggest difference to me when it comes to the Toronto Maple Leafs now and past years, is they're not panicking,” Friedman said (18:50). “Their coach has created a calmness around them.”

Friedman also mentioned Mitch Marner’s growth. In the past, Marner seemed nervous in big games. But in Game 2, he stayed calm and scored the winning goal.