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Major Concerns Grow for Auston Matthews as Don Cherry Sounds Off on Scoring Drought

Originally posted on Blade of Steel | By Tom Banks | Last updated May 13, 2025 9:53 PM ET

Auston Matthews scoring struggles have defined Toronto's post-season thus far, and now Don Cherry speculates that an injury may be behind those issues.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are locked in a 2-2 tie with the Florida Panthers in their Eastern Conference Semi-Finals matchup, and with a pivotal Game 5 upcoming, the team need to find their best play on home ice.

However, the struggles of captain Auston Matthews have held them back from dominating this series, and with only 2 goals in 10 Stanley Cup Playoffs games thus far, concern is growing for the team if he can't turn things around.

Now, legendary hockey analyst Don Cherry has weighed in on the situation, suggesting that Matthews could be hurt, with this block in their first round series against the Ottawa Senators perhaps where that injury occurred.

'I think he's hurt. He must be, because he's not shooting the way he can.
You wonder if his hand is hurting.'

It's not been confirmed by the team whether or not Matthews is dealing with an injury, but insider Steven Ellis has a similar thought, noting that while he's shooting a lot, he simply can't hit the net.

'Yeah, this is a guy who's got the most missed shots of any player in the playoffs right now. He's also, I think, second shots in the second round. So he's had these opportunities. He's had a lot of missed opportunities, but high volume shooters will shoot a lot.'

'The big goal is coming. That's the way you have to think about it. Who knows when it'll happen? But he's going to get his looks. He does a lot of things in a lot of other areas. Stick to what's he's doing, don't get frustrated.'

If Toronto are to be more than a second round flame out, they'll need to get Matthews going, and against Sergei Bobrovsky and the Florida Panthers, that's much easier said than done, but with the rest of the team playing well, 34 needs to step up and make his mark on this series.

This article first appeared on Blade of Steel and was syndicated with permission.

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