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Maple Leafs Coach's 'Big Goal' Prediction for Struggling Auston Matthews

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Antonio Losada | Last updated May 13, 2025 8:22 AM ET

The Toronto Maple Leafs head into Game 5 of their second-round series against the Florida Panthers still waiting for their best player to break through once and for all.

Although Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews has provided his teammates with three assists, he has yet to find the back of the net in the series against the reigning champions.

Even then, head coach Craig Berube is preaching patience with his forward and noting his production outside of pure goal scoring, after already addressing his drought ahead of Game 4.

Speaking Monday before the team returned home to Toronto for Game 5 on Tuesday, Berube said he isn’t concerned.

Craig Berube on Matthews, to media in Florida: “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."
— Lance Hornby (@sunhornby) May 12, 2025

"He just has to keep playing," Berube said. "I get (the lack of goals), but he does a lot of other things in the game that really dictate things. He does a great job in a lot of other areas of the game. He just has to keep focusing on that.

"He is going to get his looks. Just stick with what he is doing, and don’t get too frustrated with anything. It is not just about scoring goals. There is a lot of stuff he does extremely well for us.

"The big goal is coming. That is the way you have to think about it. Just focus on playing the game. He is doing a good job, and he is doing a lot of good things for us. I get that the puck is not going in the net for him, but again, it is not all about scoring."

Matthews is coming off a 69-goal regular season, but he's gone four straight games without a goal against Florida.

He recorded two goals in the first round against Ottawa but has now been held to just three assists in this series despite 75 shot attempts across 10 playoff games.

Matthews acknowledged after the Game 4 loss, where he logged three shots, that the chances are there, but his execution has to improve.

“The chances have been there,” Matthews said. “Just got to do a better job of bearing down.”

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

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