So what? He's a decoy and is at fault when nobody gives him the puck?

Everyone expects him to have the puck so they focus on him giving others more space to shoot. A PP cant just be one guy scoring or doing everything. Its a 5 man squad.

It isnt just Matthews PP lul

Nylander, JT, Rielly, and Marner etc also have a right to shoot and try to score. If all the offense and other factors is just generated through Matthews PP would have just gone colder sooner than it already has

This is a collective problem from everyone not just give Matthews the puck more as he had 7 SOG which lead the team lul

To really show the problem rn with TOR

In February Leafs PP = 50% and PK was at 78.6%

Since then in March PP = 4.5% and their PK aint bailing them out either 70.8%

And when u factor this team barely draws PP's and is once again repeating the norm its very concerning

Solution is simple.

FIRE KEEFE!!

That wont solve a thing

It was 1st in the league last month, going down to 4.5% is not cause of Keefe its the players

This has been a problem before Keefe became Leafs HC. As every time when we got close to playoffs special teams cooled down. Multiple PP/PK coaches, personnel, etc later nothings changed and its concerning

Players need to smarten up and find their Feb form or we aint going anywhere

The fact that the idiot is paying Nylander, McMann and Matthews when we are up by 1/2 goals in the last few minutes is absurd.

He cost us this game.

He has been out coached every playoff round. He is not an NHL quality coach.

Kampf and the boyz cant be out 24/7

Matthews has been good defensively and has always been out final mins of games, Nylander PK's and McMann was having a good game

Again he didnt cost us ****

What cost us was special teams thats it

PP in OT and they couldnt score

3 before that one same problem. Again not him but the players this loss is all on them as they once again going quiet at the wrong time

It's a 6-4 and Keefe didn't put out any players who should be relied on in that scenario. Hell I'd rather Gregor out there over Nylander. Go watch that goal, Nylander tries to block the shot by kicking it at.

There is a reason every team has defensive players to see out a game. If Keefe doesn't understand that and wants to play the big guys 30mins a night in every situation then he can F off back to juniors where that strategy works.

The right play is to have, on a 6 on 4:

Matthews-Kampf
McCabe-Lilly

JT-Willy
Brodie-Libby

McMann and Holmberg fills in when needed

Nylander's fine bc he forces the other team to not get too cocky and JT was a beast in the circle

Matthews and Kampf are 2 good shutdown guys that win draws...

That 6 on 4 goal was on poor player management as I believe Willy and Holmberg were out and they aren't good chemistry wise on the PK IMO

And we know forcing it through the best shooter in the world works based on history: https://www.statmuse.com/nhl/ask/capitals-powerplay-percentage-since-2007

Leafs special teams have been a problem for 7 years come this time

It going more to Matthews wont solve that. As this team around playoff time seems to go okay special teams can slack now

Its been a thing year after year no matter whose been HC or whose been on the units.

Feeding it more to Matthews wont solve a thing as it will actually make the PP more easier to read. Look at OT. Slavin knew JT was gonna pass to Matthews so blocked it ruining the whole sequence.

One of the many gripes about Keefe. Remember adjustments? Yeah, not there. If you can't make adjustments in the regular season, what makes anyone believe they will come in the playoffs?

Slavin fully slacked off of Matthews in OT though... I don't think you watched the PP...

https://records.nhl.com/records/skater-records/goals/most-goals-career

I did ad im telling you it going through Matthews more wont change much

It was running at 50% a month ago with everyone not just give Matthews 24/7

March 4.5% oh simple solution give it to Matthews more...no

There's more to this as its been a thing for 7 years

Since 2017 Leafs have had 145 playoff powerplay opportunities

Of those 145 opportunities they have scored on 27 of them

2016-2017 = 16.7%
2017-2018 = 26.7%
2018-2019 = 18.8%
2019-2020 = 15.4%
2020-2021 = 13%
2021-2022 = 14.3%
2022-2023 = 25%

Or 18.6% in the Matthews Era

Auston Matthews has scored 5 power-play goals in the playoffs in his career

As said before giving it to him more wont change much but instead make it easier to read. Its a 5 man unit not just one guy. Matthews has shot well for years yet 5 PP goals


For further notion here be the leaders


https://www.statmuse.com/nhl/ask/leaf-with-most-playoff-powerplay-goals-since-2017


To often PP cools off at the wrong time year after year and these guys need to wake up as its getting to predictable

Honestly Luke Fox's article be right on the ball with the issues in special teams come this time

And its the same issue that Leafs seem to have going to the playoffs year after year

The Leafs want progress. But the urgency to summon that progress isn't there, yet.

Well the more they bleed points and the PP and PK numbers drop and TBL catch up is when they will maybe wake up

They are to comfortable rn and its once again come to bit them. Its like the Avs game 3-0 lead then lose only they got a pity point.

Despite the special team issues Cowan's the bright spot

34 game point streak

As long as Keefe is coach this team is playing with a hand tied behind their back.

FIRE KEEFE!

If Benoit isn’t in next game idc I’m ripping my hair out

Who do we replace him with?

Wow, that's a lot of research, thanks!
To be clear, I agreed with your post earlier (the one I replied to). I heard the Great Eight is only 53 goals away from tying the Great One, so that was on my mind when I read your post and I thought that was funny. I thought about adding more context than just the link, but I thought it would lose its effect that way.

Ironically this wasnt research so much as a Sportsnet post lul. The statmuse was actually me being curious who scored all our PP goals in playoffs.

Man when JVR is 3rd on the team and has not been here since 2018 thats kind of sad

Honestly I wonder with Timmins back Leafs try 11-7

Timmins aint good defensively but he is a good PP guy and is someone if u go with 7 can be sheltered and who could help the issue

Cause it cant be worse than using Gregor right?

For people who asked why Matthews was out final min of game

This is why



https://twitter.com/EvolvingWild/status/1763142549147910555

Results werent what was wanted but when this guy is performing this well at both ends hes out there final min unless hurt