Has Matthews struggled in the playoffs?

[Newsworthy]

I don't see Mathews staying in Toronto for too long.
Why deal with all the unwarranted pressure?
Its only hockey for crying out loud.

 

[Eternal Leaf]

I kind of feel bad for the kid - ya he's a millionaire athlete but he'll likely get killed by the Toronto media for having a bad series/bad press at 20 years old after some (i assume) frustrating games. The fan in me wants the media to drive him crazy/drive him out of Toronto but the human in me feels for a kid who has ran into a better team who has shut him/his team down, reacted a bit poorly, and is (likely) going to get killed for it.

In one of the 40 Matthews threads on this board, someone mentioned that he'll likely get crap out about in the city from some fans in the off season - as a human, you gotta feel for a kid to deal with that.

He'll have to quit hockey because most of the criticism seems to be coming from outside Toronto. By "concerned" hockey fans of course.

 

[Nico the Draft Riser]

I don't see Mathews staying in Toronto for too long.
Why deal with all the unwarranted pressure?
Its only hockey for crying out loud.

The media does suck - I personally wouldnt want to play there

 

[Bocephus86]

He'll have to quit hockey because most of the criticism seems to be coming from outside Toronto. By "concerned" hockey fans of course.

Hahah, well that's good to hear than - Maybe the posts here are not representative of what's really going on in Toronto and I'm happy to hear it. As much as I love to see dysfunction in rivals, I still feel for the humans involved - especially when they are young and have a lot of time to change/grow up.

 

[Morbo]

Bolt to your home town and sign with the Yotes after next year, its your only way out young Austin.

It's Auston.

 

[Mick Riddleton]

It's Auston.

I stand corrected, never had to print his 1st name before but here is the future

 

[BBB24]

In comparison to most players he is up against he is still just a kid. He is talented for sure, may be struggling a bit right now but sometimes you need to learn how to lose before you become a winner. Luckily for MOST Leaf fans this management group won’t read or listen to the local media nor make decisions on a “moment of emotion”, but rather stay the course and build this team properly and ensure it grows together and the results will bear out, unfortunately. The series is best of seven and no one is there yet, as a Bruins fan, I haven’t popped the cork just yet. Hoping the Bs end it tomorrow but I knew going in the Leafs were a dangerous team and to beat them experience would need to rise to the occasion, so far so good.

 

[Paul4587]

People whinging about his production over a 4 game sample size are as bad as those who rank him as a top 5 player in the game and in the same tier as McDavid. If he scores 3 points in game 5 all of a sudden he’s at 4 in 5 , that’s how quickly things change over such a small sample.

He’s a good player, probably top 20-30 in the game. 4 bad games don’t change that.

 

[Morbo]

I stand corrected, never had to print his 1st name before but here is the future

yeah far far in the future, like an old-timers game.

 

[GodEmperor]

I kind of feel bad for the kid - ya he's a millionaire athlete but he'll likely get killed by the Toronto media for having a bad series/bad press at 20 years old after some (i assume) frustrating games. The fan in me wants the media to drive him crazy/drive him out of Toronto but the human in me feels for a kid who has ran into a better team who has shut him/his team down, reacted a bit poorly, and is (likely) going to get killed for it.

In one of the 40 Matthews threads on this board, someone mentioned that he'll likely get crap out about in the city from some fans in the off season - as a human, you gotta feel for a kid to deal with that.

Why would you feel sorry for him?

You realize that 20 year olds in generations past were dying in wars.

And in 2018 we're worried about millionaires with everything they could ever want POTENTIALLY having to endure a few mean words for .0001% of their year?

Lmfao, you gotta love some people from small markets bragging about how nobody cares about the sport.

Hard times make strong men and if Matthews wants to become one of the greats, he should welcome the adversity.

Posts like this also overlook:

1.Most people are very supportive in general, for every bad story you have 100s of positive interactions
2.When things are going well, these guys are treated like literal Gods in the city

Yeah ok, maybe he can go play in some peasant market where no one cares, or he can try and create a lasting legacy in the Hockey mecca.

20 year olds can drive, purchase liquor, smoke, die in foreign wars that they have no idea about, vote based on tribal instincts etc etc. They're not babies anymore and historically, 20 has been generally a relatively "mature" age considering what past generations would endure in their teens (harsh manual labor, wars, famines, family deaths etc).

Dealing with hardships and failures is a part of life, for the most part (99.9%) someone like Matthew has achieved everything he has ever wanted, there's nothing "bad" about having to deal with critics, assholes and outright haters, it's a part of life and should make men stronger.

 

[Tage2Tuch]

13 years, gonna be 14, and we went through 2 rebuilds. you are continuing yours from 5 years ago, we are progressing from ours 3 years ago.

No, 14 years, probably going to be 15.

It's 2018, last series win was in 2004. That's 14 years.

The soonest time you can win a series if you don't win this year is 2019.

Meaning if you lose this series, it's a MINIMUM of 15 years until you win.

Basic math.

And thanks for reminding me, I'm not putting the team down, we're not talking about the Sabres.

Interesting you claim the Leafs went through 2 rebuilds but were still in our first......no if the Leafs had 2, then we have had 2 as well. Since Murray/Bylsma/Kane/Lehner regime is out and now we have Boterill-Houusley-Mittlestadt (Our top pick this year) and whoever our new goalie is in.

I mean if it is your 2nd rebuild, because you made the playoffs in 2013? ( I don't disagree that it's your 2nd rebuild but if those are the factors then its our 2nd to) Because after finishing with 21 wins, when we got Eichel in 2015-16 we almost doubled our wins in the first season.....the team similarly had a peak in 15-16 finishing around .500 which is CLOSE to what you guys did in 2013 when playing Boston, so if you had two rebuilds, this is our 2nd one and we are in our 2nd year this upcoming season.

If we get a goalie, (we have two good prospects in Goal) and our regulars aren't signed so we will, a healthy Eichel, (two freak injuries, not injury prone in the basic way so we should) then with the influx of Mittlestadt, Ghule, Nylander (he COULD be ok) added to Reinhart, Risto, Scandella ROR, and then our TOP pick this year. (Hopefully Dahlin) there could be a dramatic difference in 18-19.

Look at the Avs, they barely changed and they improved from 48 pts to 95 with Jared Bednar in his 2nd year.

So if the Avs without changing much can do that with there coach, why can't we when we will be adding significant pieces.


We fired the coach and GM, it's obviously going to take time to get it together, and it's been a long time I know.

Housley in his 2nd year has no excuse now because the system is in place.

Don't count your chickens so soon about the Sabres being terrible next year. I think we will be bad compared to the average team but not a joke like this year.

Don't expect playoffs, but don't expect bottom 5 either. Who knows. Anyway this isn't about the Sabres just thought I'd clear that up.

My god, every time I write anything about the Leafs, a Leaf fan has to be childish and go "SABRES...EICHEL"

If you can talk trash on our team, expect it back.

It's highly deserved after hearing about how your team was going to compete for a cup. And I'm not even bashing the team in a "HAHA, LEAFS SUCK" way, just pointing out certain facts.

 

[Tage2Tuch]

You're still not understanding. Read the freaking thread. I didn't imply media didn't want to interview him. I meant that it's possible management didn't allow him to talk to media. Not sure if that's what happened,but Lou and Leafs run tight ship and it would not be out of character for them to tell players not to address media.

I didn't remember seeing that in your post. So if that's what you meant and you figured I was a mind-reader, then it's not my problem. (If infact you didn't say it)

I was speaking in general when I quoted you, I wasn't even referring to YOU, in my original response I quoted you but I wasn't talking to you, I was generalizing in a "This better not be the excuse now" type of way.

But with what you suggested is possible, that avenue never entered my mind, partly because you didn't say it...not that I rememeber anyway.

If it's there, then my bad.

 

[Newsworthy]

The media does suck - I personally wouldnt want to play there

And it's a big reason why I believe Tavares won't sign there. Some guys don't want the attention. They don't want to be celebrities. They value a normal private life.
Toronto media seems much worse than the Paparazzi.

 

[Tage2Tuch]

Matthews #'s look fine to me.

Not this series though, which is what he is more then likely referring too.

If Ovechkin had one point in 4 games and was down 3-1 for example, he would be getting crucified.

I know it's different as Ovi is older, and his team has failed a lot.

HOWEVER

My point is a Caps fan in that situation wouldn't come into this thread and say. "Ovi's numbers look fine "(Because he's talking about prior years) pretty sure he's talking about this series.

When your a star player, let alone the franchise forward, the numbers aren't fine. I have NO CLUE why people aren't accepting reality.

It is posssible for a NHL league to exist where Matthews isnt the be all, end all.

(Here comes the Eichel and Sabres bashing) SAVE It. This is about Matthews and his playoffs.

Which to anyone with a pair of eyes can see to this point has been a failure. Nothing more, nothing less.

 

[Laineux]

I haven't been able to watch this series much, but isn't Matthews being matched up against Bergeron and/or Chara? In other words, one of the best matchup centres of all time and one of the best shutdown D of all time?

Tough matchups have made better players than Matthews look bad. And there is no tougher matchup in the game than Bergerons line.

 

[Underdogoil]

Karma for the Leaf fans that laughed and criticized McDavid last year when he was stifled by the best D pair in Vlasic and Braun then face a healthy Kesler who pretty much shadowed him whole series. Last year who really challenged Mathews?

 

[RD100]

I haven't been able to watch this series much, but isn't Matthews being matched up against Bergeron and/or Chara? In other words, one of the best matchup centres of all time and one of the best shutdown D of all time?

Tough matchups have made better players than Matthews look bad. And there is no tougher matchup in the game than Bergerons line.

Well, Bergeron wasn't even on the lineup last game and the game was in Toronto. I haven't watched these games though, so, who am I to judge. Maybe Riley Nash is the second coming of Bergeron

 

[Scott Stevens]

Matthews #'s look fine to me.

Hi

Are you a unicorn?

Because if you aren’t, you have spent years on this site deriding the capitals as a cruel choking worthless playoff joke. That’s who you wanna say matthews is so special cause he fired a few in against them?

But maybe you’re a unicorn

 

[joujou]

Well, Bergeron wasn't even on the lineup last game and the game was in Toronto. I haven't watched these games though, so, who am I to judge. Maybe Riley Nash is the second coming of Bergeron

Actually he has been this season.

 

[CantLoseWithMatthews]

I haven't been able to watch this series much, but isn't Matthews being matched up against Bergeron and/or Chara? In other words, one of the best matchup centres of all time and one of the best shutdown D of all time?

Tough matchups have made better players than Matthews look bad. And there is no tougher matchup in the game than Bergerons line.

he's also facing a tough goalie, and his linemates aren't really much help. I don't want to make excuses for him since he absolutely has to be getting better results, but it's a tough situation for him. hopefully he learns from it. His icf/60 and ixgf/60 are still actually better than his regular season numbers

Matthews has faced Bergeron about half the time, and he's facing Chara pretty regularly.

 

[Eternal Leaf]

Karma for the Leaf fans that laughed and criticized McDavid last year when he was stifled by the best D pair in Vlasic and Braun then face a healthy Kesler who pretty much shadowed him whole series. Last year who really challenged Mathews?

Just some guy who won the Vezina in 2016 and was nominated again in 2017.

 

[Rhaegar Targaryen]

He has

Game 3 was the only game he was actually noticed and that’s because he got lucky and scored off a lucky bounce. But he’s against the best two-way forward of all time.

 

[behemolari]

In comparison to most players he is up against he is still just a kid. He is talented for sure, may be struggling a bit right now but sometimes you need to learn how to lose before you become a winner. Luckily for MOST Leaf fans this management group won’t read or listen to the local media nor make decisions on a “moment of emotion”, but rather stay the course and build this team properly and ensure it grows together and the results will bear out, unfortunately. The series is best of seven and no one is there yet, as a Bruins fan, I haven’t popped the cork just yet. Hoping the Bs end it tomorrow but I knew going in the Leafs were a dangerous team and to beat them experience would need to rise to the occasion, so far so good.

hmmm no, by losing you only learn how to lose

 

[Kudo Shinichi]

People whinging about his production over a 4 game sample size are as bad as those who rank him as a top 5 player in the game and in the same tier as McDavid. If he scores 3 points in game 5 all of a sudden he’s at 4 in 5 , that’s how quickly things change over such a small sample.

He’s a good player, probably top 20-30 in the game. 4 bad games don’t change that.

Its not just production. He's been invisible

 

[BruinLVGA]

I mean, he obviously did progress this year. he was hampered by injury

That wasn't the point I was making.