The Maple Leafs and Minnesota Wild skated at Scotiabank Arena on Monday.
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Auston Matthews scored again on Saturday is now up to 10 goals in 11 games since Christmas. The Leafs centre scored 14 goals in 31 games before the holiday break. What allowed Matthews to flip the switch this season?
“A lot more pace in my game,” he told TSN before a game in Las Vegas last week. “I’m hanging onto pucks more, carrying it through the neutral zone and creating from there.”
“His lateral movement has been exceptional,” observed linemate Bobby McMann. “It’s always been one of his strengths, but I feel like he’s generating a lot with off his shots, off receiving passes and things like that to generate offence.”
During that interview in Las Vegas, Matthews made it clear he had grown weary of questions about Leaf-turned-Knight Mitch Marner, but the departure of his long-time linemate likely played a role in his early issues.
“There was an adjustment period,” said TSN Hockey Insider Chris Johnston. “A lot of different linemates for Matthews through this season, but with the current look [between McMann and Max Domi] they’re finding places for him to shoot and he’s burying on a lot of those chances.”
Johnston reports that health is the biggest factor.
“You see it in things like his shot speed,” Johnston said. “Some of his best and hardest shots of the year have come in this stretch.”
Matthews has missed six games due to an undisclosed injury this season.
What has been the catalyst for Matthews’ elevated play of late? What has contributed to Auston Matthews’ recent surge in scoring and performance? TSN Maple Leafs reporter Mark Masters is joined by TSN Hockey Insider Chris Johnston to discuss the play of Toronto’s captain, the Wild’s heavy reliance on Quinn Hughes and the latest on a timeline for William Nylander’s return.
Whatever the reason, there’s no debating the impact Matthews is having on the Leafs through his improved play.
“When he’s dominating the puck and controlling play, dominating play and doing so many things well, it obviously drives the team in so many facets,” said centre John Tavares.
“He’s a big reason why we’re having the success we’re having,” said defenceman Troy Stecher. “That’s what you want out of your captain is to kind of drag the rest of the guys into the fight, and he’s definitely done that.”
The Leafs are 8-1-3 since Christmas (.792 points percentage), which is second overall behind only the Tampa Bay Lightning (10-0-1).
‘You feed off it’: Matthews hot streak fueling Leafs Auston Matthews has scored nine goals, and added four assists in nine games so far in 2026, and the Maple Leafs have gone 6-1-2 during that span. Toronto’s captain’s hot streak hasn’t gone unnoticed by his teammates, as they have lauded Matthews for dragging the team into the wild card hunt.
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Matthews faces a big challenge on Monday night with the Minnesota Wild in town. He has produced just one assist in his last four showdowns with Quinn Hughes. Those previous four games came when Hughes played for the Vancouver Canucks. The smooth-skating defenceman was traded to the Wild on Dec. 12.
“I’m starting to get a little bit comfortable in understanding my teammates and the system and all these different things,” Hughes said. “A little bit more of a process than probably what I anticipated … If you’re working for a company for seven years and then you go to a new company, you don’t know anyone. I mean, that’s going to be a change for you, I bet.”
Hughes has produced two goals and 16 assists in 17 games since the trade. Eleven of those points have come in the past eight games.
Hughes is happy with the quality of chances he’s getting, but feels he can do a better job finishing. He scored on Saturday, which was his first goal since his first game with the Wild.
“You have to be you,” the 26-year-old said of the transition. “But also you are going to a really good team … It’s not the Quinn Hughes show. Like, there’s great players here and it’s a great team, and I just want to do my part. That’s the fine line the first five, six, seven, 10 games. We’re trying to figure it out. And I feel like now it’s going pretty good, so I just got to keep going.”
One thing that hasn’t changed: Hughes is still playing a lot. He’s averaging 27 minutes and 55 seconds per game since joining the Wild, who deploy him against top lines.
“He’s a great-skating defenceman,” said Wild coach John Hynes. “He can close gaps on the rush. He’s tough to beat off the rush because of his ability to skate. He’s got a good stick. I think down low in the corners he’s such a smart player. He uses his leverage and his quickness to be able to kill plays and end plays and when he’s called upon to close a play or box out or defend in the hard areas there’s a willingness to do it.”
‘It’s not the Quinn Hughes show’: Ex-Canuck getting more comfortable with Wild In 17 games with the Wild this season, Quinn Hughes has two goals and 16 assists. The star defenceman was traded to Minnesota earlier this season, and admits that it has taken time to adjust to the systems the Wild use, but is enjoying life with one of the top teams in the NHL.
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William Nylander did not skate on Monday morning and the winger will miss a second straight game. Head coach Craig Berube revealed that the team’s leading scorer is dealing with a groin injury.
“I don’t know how long the timeline will be for him,” Berube admitted. “But, you know, when he feels good enough to get on the ice and he goes out there and skates and it feels good, then, you know, I expect him to be back fairly quick then. But I’m not sure when he’s going to be on the ice.”
Nylander initially sustained the injury on Dec. 28 and missed six games before returning on Jan. 10. He aggravated the injury early in Thursday’s game in Las Vegas.
Leafs still unsure on timeline for Nylander; Berube reveals it’s groin issue Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube revealed that he has no timeline for when winger William Nylander will be back on the ice after aggravating a groin injury last week. Nylander last played against the Golden Knights on Thursday, missing Saturday’s win over the Jets and is ruled out Monday against the Wild.
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Matthew Knies missed the morning skate and is considered a game-time decision, per Berube. The big winger continues to be plagued by a lower-body injury, which forced him to miss three games in November.
“It’s obviously bothering him a lot [and] for quite some time,” said Berube. “It hasn’t gotten really much better. Other than when he gets some breaks, you know, Christmastime and stuff, he comes back, it feels better, but it’s an ongoing issue.”
Knies scored four goals in three games immediately after the Christmas break, but has been limited to one goal in the past nine games.
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With Knies absent, Scott Laughton moved up to the second line beside Tavares on Monday morning. There is some built-in chemistry between the veterans, who both grew up in Oakville, Ont.
“We always laugh about the Oakville connection,” Tavares said.
“That’s exactly right,” Laughton said with a grin when informed of that comment. “Johnny’s setting it up. He was all morning. So, yeah, we’ll see what happens. We’re proud Oakville guys, and still got a bunch of people there. So, yeah, we joke about it quite a bit.”
Laughton has spent most of the season as Toronto’s fourth-line centre.
“He’s got a lot more playmaking offence than maybe a lot of people give him credit for,” Tavares stressed. “He plays a hard-nosed game, does a lot of little things really well, but he’s got real soft hands, and has a real good understanding for the game.”
“Me and Johnny trained together in the summer and worked on a lot of things,” Laughton noted. “So if that happens, then I’m comfortable there for sure.”
Laughton has six goals and two assists in 30 games this season, but recorded a career-high 18 goals and 43 points in the 2022-23 season with the Philadelphia Flyers.
With Knies struggling with nagging injury, Laughton joins Tavares at Leafs skate Matthew Knies is considered a game-time decision according to head coach Craig Berube, and as such Scott Laughton was skating alongside John Tavares in the morning skate. Good friends off of the ice, Tavares and Laughton joked about the ‘Oakville connection’ they share, with both players being native to the Ontario town.
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Laughton is an emotional leader for the Leafs.
“He’s just a heck of a competitor,” said Tavares. “He plays a major role for us, does so many little things well, and just the life of the locker room. Any time you play with a guy like that, it’s a lot of fun.”
Laughton showed off his fiery nature once again on Saturday in Winnipeg. After Knies was whistled for high sticking Gabe Vilardi late in the third period, Laughton got in the face of the Jets forward.
“I don’t want to speak too much about it,” Laughton said. “It happens quick. The game happens quick, and things happen. But, yeah, I thought it went off the top of the helmet. It’s still technically a high stick but, yeah, it happens. And it’s happened to me, for sure, in my career. But in the moment you’re in the game and things happen, and you get fired up.”
Laughton then got into it with a Winnipeg fan after the Leafs scored an overtime win on Saturday night.
“I was pretty fired up at the end of the game just with that penalty,” he explained. “And then I caught it out of the corner of my eye. He was kind of giving it to me. So, I was hoping for a nice overtime winner there so I could get him back. I stayed in that spot and made sure I was in a good position.”
Tavares can only chuckle.
“That’s just who he is, he’s always got something up his sleeve,” Tavares said. “It’s hard to look at him with a straight face because you just know there’s something going on in the back of his mind that he’s trying to get one up on someone … Just an amazing guy, amazing energy, and just a funny dude that competes like hell. We love him in here.”
Laughton explains why he got into it with Winnipeg fan A late penalty to Matthew Knies on Saturday drew the ire of the Maple Leafs bench, most notably from Scott Laughton and head coach Craig Berube. After killing the penalty, the Leafs proceeded to beat the Jets in overtime, where Laughton gave it to some of the Winnipeg fans, while Berube shared his thoughts with the referees.
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Laughton will not have to worry about opposition fans for the next little bit. Monday marks the start of five straight games at home for the Leafs.
“We’ve been good at home all year,” Laughton said. “It’s always hard coming back from the West Coast, so we need to have a good first 20 minutes here and set ourselves up for not only this game but the homestand in general.”
The Leafs have the second-best home record in the league (16-5-5) behind only the Colorado Avalanche (19-1-3). Toronto has won seven straight games at Scotiabank Arena.
“Just been feeling good about it,” said McMann. “Feeling good about the fans that are here, feeling good about the energy that this place has had. Definitely feeling comfortable at home. Had some extended road trips that we definitely had to battle through, but it’s nice to have everything kind of in one spot. You get that familiarity of being at home and hopefully we can keep it rolling for this homestand.”
Leafs Ice Chips: Home is where the wins are After a four game road trip, the Maple Leafs return home tonight to face one of the top teams in the NHL in the Wild. Toronto is 16-5-5 at home this season, and the Leafs are hoping to take advantage of their jam packed schedule ahead of the Olympic break. TSN’s Mark Masters has more.
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Lines at Leafs morning skate:
McMann – Matthews – Domi
Maccelli – Tavares – Laughton
Cowan – Roy – Robertson
Lorentz – Quillan – Jarnkrok
Rielly – Carlo
McCabe – Ekman-Larsson
Benoit – Stecher
Benning – Myers
Woll starts
Hildeby
Stolarz
Lines at Wild morning skate:
Kaprizov-Hartman-Zuccarello
Trenin-Yurov-Tarasenko
Foligno-Haight-Hinostroza
Jones-Sturm-Pitlick
Hughes-Faber
Middleton-Spurgeon
Hunt-Jiricek/Spacek
Gustavsson starts
Wallstedt
