LEAF TAKEAWAYS: For next trick, Matthews needs playoff magic

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If Auston Matthews has sounded restrained about becoming the highest scorer in Maple Leafs history, it’s because he knows something about Maple Leafs history.

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Fronting a core long overdue to make a impact in the NHL playoffs, part of a large 58-year Stanley Cup absence, he ultimately will be judged as always in the spring. If the Leafs don’t even make the playoffs this year, few will be talking about him passing Mats Sundin in April.

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Sundin, still the franchise points leader, knows a lot about that.

“Goal records are just the small things,” he told the Toronto Sun last season when he came through Toronto, and the fall of his 420-goal record came up. “It’s about trying to win a championship.”

Sundin alluded to that again Saturday in a congratulatory post right after Matthews had pounded a one-timer past New York Islanders goaltender David Rittich for goal No. 421. When Sundin passed Darryl Sittler in 2008, it was a year the Leafs missed the playoffs, thus some lustre came off his achievement.

Sundin was excited when Matthews joined him in the captain’s club last year.

“I think Auston will do great. You want to see the best player also be the leader and take responsibility for the whole group. I think it’s something that’s going to make him a better player.”

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Matthews has been getting this kind of encouragement from older peers before, even from rivals. In 2019, when Washington’s Alex Ovechkin ended more than a decade of winning just about every trophy but Stanley, he used his champions’ podium to prod the young Leafs: “if they want to play for themselves or if they want to win a Cup.”

They had to “play differently,” Ovie said, as the Caps learned, and in a comment specific to Matthews, said: “you have to play both ways. I think I improved myself on the defensive side of the ice a lot. For me, (Matthews) and for offensive guys, it’s kind of hard to realize what you have to do on the defensive part. (But) he’ going to be a great player.”

Matthews did indeed become a strong two-way player in recent seasons and has actually out-scored Ovie since the Leaf came in the league in 2016. But 26 goals in 68 playoff games, four in the last 18 when healthy compared to five by Ovechkin in two rounds last year, is where Matthews wants to prove his mettle.

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Putting the Leafs on his back as he did the past four games in the face of playoff desperation and after his own sub-par play will be the ultimate measuring stick.

GLASS HALF FULL?

What a way for the Leafs to reach the schedule’s halfway mark on Saturday.

There was the bench-clearing jubilation of Matthews’ record, coupled with achieving points in six straight games to intensify the wild-card race, sullied by allowing a late third-period goal and losing in overtime.

That sacrificed point could have moved them past three teams when all of Saturday’s scores were in. They remain two out of a wild card, tied for last in the Atlantic Division with Ottawa and Florida and last in the league in road wins.

With a record of 19-15-7, the Leafs have gone from trouble getting leads to Saturday, when they couldn’t hold one against the low-scoring Islanders.

“We didn’t have the puck enough and sat back a little too much,” coach  Craig Berube said. “Could’ve had two points. We weren’t on our toes.”

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The Panthers are up next, Tuesday at home, a test sure to start the next 41 games with a bang.

“I don’t really think too much about the halfway mark,” winger Nick Robertson said. “I just think we’re a good team, better than we were a month ago and we have to build off of that.”

But if the Leafs fall short of a playoff spot by a point or two in April, it will be games such as the one on Saturday that will come back to bite them.

ROSTER ROLLER COASTER

The six-game point run has been accomplished without much from injured leading scorer William Nylander and with Berube creating some interesting new lines as a result.

Splitting Matthews and Matthew Knies has meant new life for wingers Bobby McMann and Max Domi, each contributing to the captain’s five goals the past two games. Nicolas Roy between Nick Robertson and Easton Cowan has produced goals off of the forecheck.

Berube got a good game out of defenceman Matt Benning, who was playing his first NHL game in more than a year, the coach’s hand forced by a bad outing Thursday from Philippe Myers. In more than 12 minutes of ice time, Benning blocked a team-high three shots.

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Morgan Rielly’s penchant for being in the wrong place at the wrong time resulted in a minus four night. Yet Rielly received a vote of confidence from Berube, who keeps the defenceman’s ice time high and features him on the first power play.

“Tonight was a tough one, I know that,” Berube said of Rielly. “He’s played a lot of good hockey for us. I’m not worried, I think he’ll get back to the level he was at.”

Berube did second-guess goalie Joseph Woll’s decision to keep play going during the overtime rather than hold a puck that came his way. Teammates were caught off guard with no energy to start a new rush and the Isles took advantage for the winner.

“I’d like to have seen him freeze it,” Berube admitted. “Guys were tired. But things happen fast.

Berube was to await word on a scheduled day off Sunday about the injury that kept defenceman Jake McCabe out of the game’s last few minutes.

Lhornby@postmedia.com

X: @sunhornby

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