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Maple Leafs Coach Addresses Auston Matthews' Goal Scoring Drought

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Antonio Losada | Last updated May 11, 2025 8:22 AM ET

Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube isn’t showing much concern over team captain Auston Matthews’ lack of goals in the second-round series against the Florida Panthers.

That is, even with the Maple Leafs preparing for a pivotal Game 4 against the Panthers on Sunday as the team can go up 3-1 upon their return to Toronto for Game 5.

"Listen, he is a great scorer. We all know that," Berube said on Saturday. "I am not too worried about it. It is what it is.

"Yeah, he needs to hit the net. He is trying to hit the net. He is not trying to miss the net. He is trying to hit it. I am not going to elaborate on it too much."

Matthews has yet to find the back of the net through three games against Florida, despite entering Sunday ranked third in the playoffs in total shots (32) but boasting a horrid 6.3 shooting percentage.

Matthews is coming off registering two assists in Game 3 after getting his first of the second-round series in Game 2.

The Leafs' captain, however, failed to score a single point in Game 1 and has yet to score a goal after closing the first-round series against the Ottawa Senators with a goal in the series-clinching Game 6 on May 1.

Fellow forwards Matthew Knies and Max Pacioretty echoed Berube's sentiment, noting the process is there and the results will inevitably arrive at some points.

“I’m not too worried about him,” Knies said. “He’s doing the right things. He’s getting looks.”

"He's playing all over the ice extremely well," Pacioretty said. "And, as a teammate, that's what you notice, first and foremost. So, it'll come.

"For us in that room, it's not about looking at the stat sheet and the goal column. It's what you do all over the ice, and doing the little things to help the team win. And eventually all those numbers seem to sort (themselves) out."

Matthews will have another crack at breaking his goal skid in Game 4, scheduled for Sunday at 7:30 p.m. ET inside Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida, before the series returns to Toronto for Game 5.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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