Auston Matthews believes Maple Leafs’ struggles stem from not having the puck as much
The Maple Leafs are currently eight points out of a playoff spot and are tied with the Ottawa Senators, who they’ll take on at home on Saturday night. Auston Matthews, who picked up an assist in each loss, said that the team hasn’t had puck possession as much as they’ve wanted to in these first two games, and suggested it as a factor in why the team has allowed so many more goals this season.
“That’s a tough question to answer, to be honest.” Matthews told media at morning skate on Saturday. “I think it’s execution. I think maybe we haven’t had the puck as much offensively this year, and with that happening, we’re kind of defending a little bit more.”
Matthews was also asked about what it’s been like getting back to action and the adjustments that come with it. He acknowledged that the adjustment can be difficult but wouldn’t use it as an excuse for their poor play.
“I think it’s always a challenge,” Matthews continued. “Obviously, a lot of guys have been off for a while, some of us are coming back from the Olympics, there’s a lot of adjusting, but everybody’s in the same boat. For us, we need to get our game back on track right away, and we don’t have time to waste. For us, it’s looking right ahead at what’s in front of us, which is a game against the Sens, divisional opponent, on Saturday. So we need to be ready for that and I don’t think anybody should have a problem getting up for a game like that.”
With the Maple Leafs currently on the outside looking in and the trade deadline now less than a week away, Matthews acknowledged the possibility of players being traded but stressed that the team can’t be thinking about anything but their goals.
“We can only focus on what we can control, and putting together a good effort tonight. Everything else is out of our control as far as the other stuff. That’s management, coaches, stuff like that. We can only control tonight, and that’s going out, and everybody’s gotta have a full effort and make sure we’re ready to compete from the drop of the puck. To claw our way back into the standings, we have to earn that.
Puckdrop between the Maple Leafs and Senators is at 7:00 pm eastern time on Hockey Night in Canada.