Canadiens' Matheson 'best player on the ice' in showdown with star-studded Leafs

MONTREAL— It was a simple, subtle play that gave Mike Matheson a secondary assist and yet another point that put him on track to post the best offensive season by a Montreal Canadiens defenceman since P.K. Subban got on the board 60 times over the 2014-15 campaign.

The last player on the blueline to score 46 points with Montreal was Jeff Petry. He did it five years ago, but over 82 games.

Matheson’s pass to Juraj Slafkovsky, who set up Alex Newhook for the goal that made it 2-2 on the power play five minutes and five seconds into the third period of this 3-2 loss for the Canadiens, was point 46 for him in Game 64. He flew through the slot and scored his 45^th just 38 seconds into this one. And both plays might have been his most ordinary ones over his 28:21 played against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Matheson danced his way through Toronto’s top players all night, pivoting smoothly on his edges in all three zones to help the Canadiens control 66 per cent of the shot attempts and 79 per cent of the expected goals when he was on the ice. He helped keep Auston Matthews — the NHL’s top goal scorer — off the sheet, and he gave his team its best chance at drawing even in the dying minutes when he twisted Calle Jarnkrok around and lured him into taking a penalty.

The Canadiens didn’t cash in, but Matheson was the one who set Slafkovsky up with their best opportunity to do so on the man-advantage.

“He was everywhere on the ice,” said Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis. “He’s played some great games, but tonight was his best one. I’m sure he was a star.”

Those honours were actually given to Max Domi, Slafkovsky and Bobby McMann.

“Well, I thought he was the best player on the ice tonight,” responded St. Louis.

On any given night, Matheson can wear that title. And on many nights since joining the Canadiens in the summer of 2022, he has. 

For Matheson, who was born and raised in Pointe Claire, Que., on the West Island of Montreal, getting to do it for this team has felt like destiny.

He went through trials and tribulations out of the spotlight shortly after his entry into the league — five years after being taken 23^rd overall by the Florida Panthers —experiencing growing pains through five seasons that inevitably led to his trade to the Pittsburgh Penguins. 

On a team with championship pedigree, Matheson learned to play more like a winner through two seasons.

And then he arrived in Montreal prepared to show it.

“I always kind of think back to the young me and everything I’ve been through, and I feel like everything I’ve been through was in preparation for this,” the 30-year-old said. “Everything happens for a reason in that sense that I went to Florida and the pressure and external stuff wasn’t that big, and then went to Pittsburgh, where it was medium-to-high, and then came here and it’s a whole different animal. In that sense, I feel like I was always meant to be a Montreal Canadien.”

Matheson’s evolution towards becoming the best version of himself here has also provided his young teammates with an example to follow.

On this night, three of them at his position, were cursing themselves for mistakes that cost the Canadiens goals. Arber Xhekaj, 23, let McMann slip by him for Toronto’s first at the 59-second mark of the second period, and 23-year-old Jordan Harris and 22-year-old Jayden Struble were split by Domi 18 minutes later.

But none of them allowed that to define the rest of their performances.

Just like Matheson didn’t allow a rocky start to the season to get in the way of playing even better than he did a year ago, when he set a new career high with 34 points in 48 games.

“There was definitely the first five, 10 games where I just wasn’t feeling the game and wasn’t playing to my best ability,” he said.

But a performance like the one Matheson offered on Saturday made that time feel like a distant memory.

After the game he talked about how he’s grown and taken advantage of the NHL’s fifth-largest workload — he averages 25:31 in time-on-ice per game — to do it.

“Consistency, for sure,” was one thing Matheson pointed to.

“I’d say my offensive game has grown, just with getting more opportunity in those situations and seeing more looks and learning a lot from those looks and being able to play with those guys on the power play,” was another. 

And lastly, Matheson pointed to this: “Definitely defending against teams’ top lines has helped me grow a lot too. Since before getting here, I didn’t always have those responsibilities, and it’s a totally different game when you’re matched up against that sort of talent every night.”

He’s handled it particularly well as the season has gone along, with his minus-26 rating being more reflective of his early-season struggles and the inexperience of the Canadiens in general.

Not that Matheson has been perfect, with his risk management getting him into more trouble than he’d have liked at times. But he’s been better and better with that part of the game as the season has gone along, and he still feels he can build it — and other elements of his play — up further.

Matheson’s coach believes that, too.

“There’s a definite process, and you’re never too old to keep evolving,” said St. Louis.

“I just love where he is in his career,” he added, “and I just feel he’s still getting better, which is fun to watch.”

It was a spectacle on Saturday, leaving Matheson proud. 

It’s been a long time since we’ve seen a Canadiens defenceman control play the way he has, and he’s loving being able to do it in front of his family and friends in Montreal.

Everyone can sense it.

“Obviously, he’s a kid from here, and it means a lot, I think, for him to wear the jersey,” said St. Louis. “You can’t get enough of those guys—guys from here who can compete like that and are as good as he is, and it’s fun to watch.”