NEW YORK — Brian Matthews doesn’t need a special invite like the dads’ trip to go watch his son play hockey.
Hang around the Toronto Maple Leafs long enough and low-key sightings of the large, mild-mannered, proud man — Papi’s papa — grow commonplace.
Frequent home games. Arizona, of course. But also random regular-season road dates (Pittsburgh?!), playoff rounds, all-star weekends, award shows, even the occasional practice: Matthews doesn’t need to use words to express how tight he is with his family, or how supportive his parents and sister are of him.
Asked how often Brian is in the building, Auston can’t put a number on it.
But with Brian wearing No. 34 road whites and looking down at the action from the nosebleeds of Madison Square Garden, maybe — even after all those trophies and accolades and seven years in the Show — Auston still derives a little extra motivation whenever Dad is in the barn?
Matthews smiles — and, wait, is that a blush? — when asked this.
“I’d like to say yes. But, yeah, I mean, I think he’s seen me play enough,” Matthews replies, in a way that reminds you he’s still a kid in his 20s. And no matter how rich and talented one might be, we all want to make dad proud. “But obviously with the trip, having all the dads here, it’s special for everybody.”
Does the player still get excited about Toronto’s fathers’ trips?
“My dad gets even more,” Matthews says. “All the dads do, and all the guys that are able to participate. So, it’s always a special couple days for them to spend time with us, with each other, and kind of get a behind-the-scenes look at what goes on in our everyday lives. And yeah, it’s always fun.”
Even more fun when you throw down a four-point show off Broadway, pop two goals past Igor Shesterkin, and your team rips the Metropolitan Division–leading New York Rangers to the tune of 7-3, gathering five of a possible six points in front of the fathers.
On Tuesday, the Rocket-hunting Matthews became the first NHLer to reach 20 goals, then added his 21st in let’s-make-it-a-rout time. Twenty-one goals by Game 26, and Matthews is gathering steam, scoring seven times in his past five.
The season Auston Matthews scored 60 goals (2021-22), it took him 30 games to hit 21.
Matthews’ most recent hot stretch roughly aligns with coach Sheldon Keefe’s right-wing flip, replacing Mitch Marner on the top line with William Nylander.
So, has Nylander’s move to Matthews’ wing changed the dynamic for Auston?
“I think Auston has changed the dynamic for Auston. I think he’s just playing with way more authority, shooting the puck way more,” Keefe says. “I really think Auston has just really decided that he’s just going to be more assertive in his play offensively.
“Just the way that Auston’s on his toes more. He’s attacking the net. He’s shooting the puck and working to get it back. That’s really where I think Auston comes to life.”
Be it eye test or the numerical data, Matthews has been on one of late, using his 6-foot-3, 215-pound frame (that and his home-run swing clearly inherited from the paternal side), digging in defensively, and linking more shifts that pop off the sheet.
Then firing hard and at will.
“Maybe you just feel like you’re in a rhythm or a bit of a flow out there,” Matthews says. “And I think we’ve done a good job in just competing and getting pucks back. You know, sometimes it’s not always the pretty plays, but just those one-on-one battles and supporting each other all over the ice.”
Keefe likes to call Matthews “a driver,” so it should be of little surprise that with the 34 car slamming the pedal, the Maple Leafs as a whole are starting to cruise after chugging at the start line.
Toronto has now gathered standings points in seven straight games and in 12 of its past 13.
Still, multi-goal wins in regulation, like Tuesday’s under the shadow of the Empire State Building, have been scarce.
“Our game has been much better of late. I think there was a period of time where we were just kind of grinding through, picking up points. Obviously a lot of overtime games, but maybe not as consistent a full 60 minutes as we’d like to play,” Matthews says.
“But over the last week or two, we’ve been able to string together much better sequences for ourselves and just better sequences throughout the game, especially playing top teams.”
With dates against a couple not-so-top teams — Columbus and Pittsburgh — looming later this week, the challenge for Matthews and the Leafs will be to maintain this level of play.
Even after the dads go home to their televisions.
“I think everybody’s got a little extra motivation to go out there and play hard and win,” Matthews says. “So we can keep doing this trip again.”
Fox’s Fast Five
• Third-stringer Martin Jones: two appearances for the Maple Leafs, two wins for the Maple Leafs. Exhibit A in the case for goaltending depth.
“He’s a veteran goalie that isn’t going to get too fazed or too excited. He’s just going to be ready to go out and take advantage of his opportunity,” Keefe says.
“That’s why you sign a guy like that.”
• MSG was rocking late in the second period, as the home team chopped Toronto’s early 4-1 lead to 4-3. The Rangers had all the momentum.
Then 1:22 into the third, Marner draws an interference penalty on ex-Leaf Erik Gustafsson and begins chatting with power-play point man Morgan Rielly.
The two had noticed that the way the Rangers set up on the kill, a high tip should be available.
They promptly execute it to a tee, giving Marner his second on the night, and sucking all wind out of New York’s sails:
• Matthew Knies was a late scratch due to illness, giving Noah Gregor an opportunity to skate on Toronto’s top line. Gregor picked up an assist on Matthews’ opening goal and skated a whopping 17:40 — his most ice time since March 2022.
“Gregor has played really well for a long period of time here, and now you’re looking for an opportunity for him,” says Keefe, noting that all his left wings are healthy and performing well.
“There hasn’t been a lot of opportunity to really elevate. So, once we knew Knies was going to be unavailable today, it took me about three seconds to say this was going to be Gregor’s opportunity to play more and play with those guys. He’s really earned it.”
• Ryan Lindgren learned to keep his head up near Jake McCabe:
“He’s a great open-ice hitter,” Marner enthuses. “He catches people with their heads down and watching pucks. He’s done a couple of plays like that this year that make you happy he’s on your team. I think just his overall defensive game for us and his physicality has been amazing all year.”
• Artemi Panarin extended his NHL-best home point streak to 12 games.
“Super shifty,” McCabe says. “Whenever he’s playing that off side of his, he can make any pass. He’s obviously an elite goal scorer.”