Toronto wins with Auston Matthews in top form

TORONTO — Expectations often have a way of distorting reality and the idea that Toronto Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews was having a sub-standard year, relative to the stratospheric standard he’s set for himself, seemed downright foolish.

If you needed a reminder, Matthews showed why he’s the most explosive goal-scorer in the NHL, depositing a brace in rapid succession and you had to feel bad for those stuck in the beer line coming out of the first intermission. The Winnipeg Jets largely controlled the first period and were it not for Toronto’s Ilya Samsonov submitting his best performance of the early calendar year, this very well could’ve been a different result.

Matthews exemplified a renewed sense of urgency, dipping around the Jets’ defence with some nifty moves, before roofing it past Winnipeg’s star goalie Connor Hellebuyck eight seconds into the second frame. The Maple Leafs were on top of things from that point onwards. Matthews scored his second goal of this contest just three minutes later. Mitch Marner added an insurance marker on penalty kill. Mark Giordano also had an empty-net goal and Toronto was 3-0 up. breezed to a 4-1 victory.

Here’s what you need to know from Thursday’s Maple Leafs-Jets game:

Three stars

1. Auston Matthews, Maple Leafs

Matthews scored eight seconds into the second quarter, changing the game’s imprint. This was a change from the first period when his line was the only one that produced for the Maple Leafs. Matthews’s performance has been underrated despite his superior underlying stats and playing the best defensive hockey of all time.

“I loved how Auston went out and took charge of the game in the second period,” Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said post-game.

He dominated Thursday with nine scoring chances at 5-on-5, He won 50 percent of his faceoffs and posted three shot blocks After Michael Bunting provided him with a perfect feed, he narrowly missed a chance to record a natural trick hat trick.

Nearly seven minutes into the third quarter, Winnipeg nearly added a second goal. But Matthews got down on his knees in slot and wiped out the danger. The Hart Trophy winner was outstanding in this performance. added to the All-Star roster post-game.

2. Ilya Samsonov, Maple Leafs

Marner and Bunting could’ve easily found themselves among the three stars but with some consternation about the Maple Leafs’ goaltending regressing, Samsonov stepped up to the plate and kept his team in the contest during the first period. He responded to every test he faced and though Toronto was proficient offensively from the minute Matthews roofed the opening goal, it wasn’t a clean defensive performance. In the second period, Samsonov was given a short ovation by the Scotiabank Arena crowd. It was well deserved. In the third period, he almost destroyed a 5-on-3 before Kyle Connor got the Jets on board.

It wasn’t clear until the end of the morning skate whether Samsonov or Matt Murray would get the start Thursday. The 25-yearold was able to save 37 times. He’s now 12-0-1 at Scotiabank Arena this season.

3. William Nylander, Maple Leafs

Nylander was Nylander’s best player during the first quarter and, together with Matthews and Bunting helped revive the Maple Leafs from a difficult start. At this speed, he is a walking scoring opportunity and was zipping about the ice making it almost impossible for Matthews to be in top form for the Jets. Nylander has had games with higher underlying numbers. We considered Marner or Bunting, but we decided to go with Nylander because of his off-puck movement and constant pace.

Off night: Mark Scheifele, Jets

Scheifele will never forget this night. He got walked by Matthews during the game’s opening goal, then committed the turnover that directly led to Marner’s insurance marker. Scheifele otherwise wasn’t horrible, but if you make two mistakes that immediately lead to goals at critical junctures of the contest, this becomes an easy choice.

Play the game:

We’ve discussed this goal in great detail already, given that it was the turning point but we haven’t discussed the aesthetics and my God, it was gorgeous. Morgan Rielly banks a pass off the boards, Bunting flicks it onto Matthews’ stick and the rest is pure magic.

Matthews turned Scheifele into a pylon and with Nylander in excellent position to receive the pass, Brenden Dillon had no chance but to block off the potential lane, allowing Toronto’s superstar to roof it home. It was the best play of the night during one of Matthews’ best games of the season.

Here’s a slow-motion angle, too.

A bad game play:

This can be interpreted in many ways. Marner did a great read to seal the wall and stole the puck. He then scored a stunning goal of his own. But that also doesn’t excuse the terrible route Scheifele took and after losing the puck, he took a circuitous loop, allowing Marner to take full advantage of the lack of urgency and deposit a laser for the shorthanded marker. This play, in many respects, encapsulates Scheifele’s forgettable evening.

Stat of the Night:

Don’t blink when the Maple Leafs are playing. This is an offensive juggernaut capable of scoring at a moment’s notice and some fans may have missed one of the best plays of the game.

Going viral:

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Santiago Espinal and Chris Bassitt, along with Kevin Kiermaier, from the Toronto Blue Jays, showed their support for the Maple Leafs. Vladdy was the most popular and received a standing ovation from the crowd. He seemed thrilled to be supporting his neighbours on Thursday evening.

Quote of the day

Keefe’s observations on Matthews’ dominant performance:

“I noticed the puck hit the mesh…obviously, it’s probably the game that looks closest to him last year in terms of the way the puck went in the net.”

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