How Auston Matthews put the Maple Leafs on his back — again

CALGARY — First came the hats, all different shades of worn-down blue, falling from the hands of elated fans in the lower bowl. Then came “MVP!” chants raining down from equally ecstatic fans in the upper bowl, praising their star.

As Auston Matthews completed his 11th career hat trick and fourth this season, it felt like just another night in Toronto for the best goal scorer in hockey.

Yet Matthews wasn’t in Toronto. His game-changing play transcends provincial borders, as it were. In a building that boasts having a “C of Red,” it was Matthews and the visiting team that had the crowd, and those on the bench, bewildered.

No one needs a reminder that Maple Leafs fans travel well. But Matthews’ dominant performance did serve as a different, twofold reminder, not just of his generational talent but how he is able to turn his team’s fortunes in a way no other Leaf in the modern era has.

On a night when the Leafs desperately needed a win to silence the growing negative noise around them, Matthews’ hat trick delivered. After the Leafs went down 2-0 in the first period, Matthews’ goals came in a variety of fashions in an entertaining 4-3 win over the Calgary Flames. And depending how this Leafs season unfolds, his ability to score at will against the Flames could end up being one of the turning points of the season.

“You’re leaning over, looking at (teammates) and saying, ‘That was crazy,’” Bobby McMann said of watching Matthews’ goals from the bench. “You have to recognize that. And you just love having him on your team more than anything else.”

Let’s go through a few numbers that many Leafs fans might already have injected into their veins: Matthews has a league-leading 37 goals in 42 games and 23 goals in his last 21 games. With 39 games remaining, that puts him on pace for 71 goals in the season.

Scoring 71 goals wouldn’t just blow his 60-goal, Hart Trophy-winning 2021-22 season out of the water. It would put his season among the very best single seasons for goal scorers in NHL history. We’re talking Brett Hull territory. Or, another way to look at it: Wayne Gretzky’s 71 goals in 80 games in 1982-83 are tied for the 10th most in NHL history.

And, it’s worth remembering, this isn’t some flash-in-the-pan season, as James Mirtle points out.

The way Matthews can score (seemingly) at ease and score in the way that can change the outcome of a game — and maybe a season, if we’re being honest — leaves little room for doubt. He’s entering the stratosphere of the best goal scorers in league history.

“Honestly, I feel like you just get used to it,” TJ Brodie said. “The way he can score is incredible.”

And a beleaguered Leafs team is benefitting.

After four straight losses that had coach Sheldon Keefe openly criticizing his team, the Leafs barely responded in the first period. Sluggish is a polite way to describe how they came out. The wheels weren’t exactly falling off on their season, but it certainly felt like they were beginning to rattle.

And then Matthews did as Matthews does, putting his team on his back. All alone in the offensive zone after Noah Gregor kept the puck inside the blue line, Matthews dangled the puck and roofed his shot in a way, like, maybe two other shooters in the world can. The goal gave his team a chance to exhale.

“To me, we looked really tight and tentative in that first period,” Keefe said. “And even the goal itself is kind of a broken play. And it lands on Auston’s stick, thankfully. He makes no mistake. That’s a big goal, for sure. Just getting out of that period and giving us a chance to regroup, relax and get out and play, I thought we were excellent from there.”

Just four minutes after the Leafs returned to the ice after the first intermission, Matthews’ tying goal gave his bench noticeable life.

“With our slow start that we had, (Matthews) got us going there in the first period,” William Nylander said. “Getting us going is huge. He just keeps putting it in the net, and that builds confidence in the group.”

It was vintage Matthews in many ways: He sniffed out space for himself near the faceoff dot to rip a one-timer that Flames goalie Dan Vladar had zero chance of stopping.

“I watch his tendencies and what he does away from the puck to give himself the space and those opportunities. Yes, he can shoot the puck really well, but he gives himself a chance to get those shots off. I watch that, and I try to replicate the angles and the routes he takes,” McMann said.

Finally, Matthews showed serious strength to pull up close to the goal for a rebound from a Matthew Knies shot before burying a backhand. There are plenty of tricks in his arsenal.

“You know that he’s a game changer at any point in the game,” McMann said.

And to convert in front with continued calm? That clearly worked wonders for a team that, at least as of Thursday’s morning skate, appeared uptight and tense at the prospect of losing another game. Step by step, goal by goal, Matthews appeared to remind his team it’s capable of taking the game, at least for stretches, to its opponents.

“It helps everybody relax,” Keefe said of how Matthews’ goals changed the mood of the Leafs bench. “That’s what elite players do.”

“I don’t think we sat back too much,” Matthews said. “I thought we tried to drive play on their half of the ice as much as possible.”

Right now, the way Matthews is scoring, nothing feels off the table.

His third Rocket Richard trophy? Sure. Setting a Leafs record for most goals in a season? Why not.

Another Hart Trophy if he continues to welcome his team on his back the way he did against the Flames? If he can help pull his team out of a murky position around the wild-card spots and safely into the Atlantic Division’s top three teams, the conversation around him being named MVP once again should pick up.

Even if he isn’t named MVP, performances like Thursday against the Flames might continue to be necessary. What’s become clear through this team’s recent skid is it’s not getting enough production — and just consistent play — from those around Matthews. Tyler Bertuzzi continues to struggle to impact games positively. John Tavares has gone six straight games without a point, his longest stretch as a Leaf.

The Leafs needed their stars to pull them out of their funk, and Matthews did just that. And given the top-heavy nature of this roster, it feels unlikely Thursday will be the last time this season Matthews is tasked with willing his team to a win.

“We try and play as well as we can around him,” McMann said. “The guy just knows how to score, and it’s just so much fun to watch.”

(Photo: Sergei Belski / USA Today)