TORONTO — Auston Matthews has not only cracked a cheat code for NHL goalies and turned the Rocket Richard Trophy race into a yawnfest.
On Saturday night, he also figured out the best way to get benched.
After ripping his second hat trick in as many games, serving Tyler Bertuzzi’s slump-busting goal on a platter, and hanging a career-high five points on the flightless Anaheim Ducks, Matthews saw his time on ice limited to just 14:52 — a season low.
If not the superstar’s greatest single-game performance, considering the no-show opponent, it may have been Matthews’ most efficient.
The chants of “M-V-P!” rang throughout Scotiabank Arena when Matthews scored on the Maple Leafs’ first shot of the game, and the volume swelled as he pocketed goals 46, 47 and 48 before the contest was half over and Ducks starter Lukas Dostal had been chased.
Despite operating without Morgan Rielly, John Tavares, and Mark Giordano, and going down to five defencemen at the 20-minute mark, Toronto dismantled the Ducks 9-2 in a 60-minute argument to introduce relegation to the National Hockey League.
By the time the Leafs had four goals, the Ducks had mustered three shots.
By the time the Leafs had seven goals, the Ducks had seven shots.
“Cruise control,” coach Sheldon Keefe called it.
Matthews was in the driver’s seat, as has become routine, posting his second hat trick of the week and sixth of the season. No team has more than five hat tricks this year.
And the most recent player to accomplish that feat was some guy named Mario Lemieux, in 1995-96.
“It’s obviously hard to put into words to be in the same sentence as a guy like that,” said Matthews, plainly.
The man on pace for 75 prefers to let his celebrations illustrate his lust for red lamps. Had Keefe not eased off the gas and given his bottom six so much cardio, there was a sense — or, at least, a wonder — in the air that, just maybe, Matthews could hit 50 before the buzzer.
“It’s insane. I mean, what’s the second-best guy in the league got right now?” William Nylander said. (That would be Florida’s Sam Reinhart at 39.) “Yeah, he’s just crushing it. I mean, that’s what he does.”
Keefe says he’s on the other side of being in awe of the variety, distance and frequency with which Matthews scores. But the new guys are still in the “did-you-see-that?” phase.
Here’s Ryan Reaves: “I don’t know if he’s got a little remote control in that puck or what’s going on, but the guy knows how to shoot the puck.
“I don’t understand it. I can’t even do that in the video game, to be honest with you. Like, it looks like he’s playing a different game than everybody else. Just the way he handles the puck, the way he shoots it, how hard he shoots, like, the exact spots he puts it, it’s impressive. It’s fun to watch. I hope to continue watching.”
And here’s Max Domi: “Scoring goals, I mean, that’s all he thinks about. He’s the best in the world at what he does, and we’re very lucky to have him.”
Matthews commands the headlines again, but a nine-goal cookie night feeds the masses.
Eleven Leafs popped on the scoresheet and nine (!) finished with multi-point efforts. Goaltender Martin Jones gathered a valuable win after being sidelined all week with an undisclosed injury.
Heck, even the upper-body injury depth defenceman William Lagesson sustained in the first period brought some feel-good upside.
With the outcome secure early and Keefe cognizant not to overtax his depleted blueline, Mitch Marner was circled as a prime candidate to fill in on the back end.
During the first intermission, Keefe spoke to assistant coach Mike Van Ryn: “If you need a D, Mitch is your guy. … He’s very comfortable there.”
Marner jumped at the opportunity to try something different and closed gaps well. The RD makes a crisp first pass.
“It was just like he’s been playing there his whole life,” Matthews smiled. “He’s incredible. He does it all for us. Literally does it all. So, maybe next game he can put on the goalie gear and be backup.”
To paraphrase the legendary Patrick Roy: In life, you can be an eagle or a duck.
Auston Matthews and the Leafs chose to soar high above the fray.
Fox’s Fast Five
• The Maple Leafs improve to a perfect 7-0-0 over the past three seasons when John Tavares (day-to-day) is not in the lineup.
Dating back to last season, the team is now 17-2-1 without Morgan Rielly (suspended).
Hockey is weird.
• Ducks coach Greg Cronin said pregame of Radko Gudas: “He’s like a villain on the ice. You hate playing against him because he’s such a pain in the ass to play against, but then when he’s on your team you really appreciate him.”
Well, Gudas fought Max Domi, roughed but refused to fight Reaves, cross-checked Bobby McMann following a goal, and got booed with lust each time he touched the puck.
Villain status achieved.
The thing is, Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving took a run at signing the rugged right shot in free agency. Gudas didn’t jump at the spotlight that comes with playing the sport in Toronto.
“I have a big family,” Gudas said. “I like my life outside hockey, too.”
The last time Gudas rolled through this building, he was screaming in Joseph Woll’s face after a playoff series victory.
This time he was dash-4 for a team bound for the lottery.
• With a goal and two assists, Nylander became the fourth-fastest Maple Leaf to hit 500 points (574 games).
The only Leafs to reach the milestone faster: Matthews, Marner and Darryl Sittler.
• After 19 games without a goal, Bertuzzi ended his slump with a tap-in filling in for Tavares on the top power-play unit.
“I still feel really strongly that this guy is going to be a very important player for us,” Keefe said. “This guy is fearless. He is a competitor. The higher the stakes get, he is going to rise to the occasion. He has done that his entire career — last year in Boston, in junior hockey, or in the American League. He has been a gamer when it really counts. I don’t doubt that for a second.
“We’ll just continue to embrace the good things that he is doing and work with him to try to get these chances to fall.”
• McMann scored five goals this week. Timothy Liljegren has five assists in two games.
Great confidence boosters.
Matthews was encouraging McMann (2G, 1A) to keep shooting for duelling hat tricks Saturday: One more! One more!
“The level of intensity that he brings, he’s just a monster out there,” Matthews said. “Another great night for him, and it’s just been fun to see him get better and better every game.”