Auston Matthews Discussion Thread

[Notsince67]

I do not disagree with that at all. You described the ideal solution. My concern is the ideal solution sometimes doesn't work. What if JT doesn't sort it out? What if the poor play continues? What if we continue to be a 1 line team? I'm all for telling him to man up, in fact I hope that happens, but the goal isn't to worry about individual players, it's to win games. We need other lines to start scoring more and that starts with JT.

If Marner/JT and AM/Nylander can produce, then we have 2 lines going. Even if Matthews isn't as good as he was with Marner, the end result may be better for the team.

It doesnt have to be all or nothing. They could switch the line up intra-game to basically achieve the same thing. There is pretty strong mojo between AM & MM and small separations shouldnt hurt them and achieve the same confidence building goals for JT & WN

 

[Spargon]

Isn't that the truth. Leafs fans get trash talked all day long on here as soon as you mock another team for anything the bans come out. can't even defend your self on here. This is the biggest Anti-Leafs board out there.

I love how an Oilers fans will make their name and avatar to insult Matthews and mock him in every thread and soon as you call them out its just our victim mentality.

Such a sad sack group

 

[Peasy]

Yeah the mainboard biased against the Leafs is ridiculous.

Matthews has a slightly better goal per game rate than Ovie since he (Matthews) has entered the league but apparently it is asinine to suggest that Matthews is now currently the best goal scorer in the NHL.

 

[Confucius]

You think Matthews previous seasons of 40, 34, 37, and 47 goals would be enough to prove that he's one of the top 3 best goal scorers in the NHL. So it's crazy that some people are trying to downplay his goal scoring this year because he's only doing that against the other Canadian teams.

Since Mathews came into the league he has 174 goals, only one player, Ovechkin has more 186.

 

[Teeder Keon]

I think you can say that AM is like Kopitar with way more offensive skill
Of like Malkin with more of being a complete player
Or like Draistl with more defensive awareness
Or like Mcdavid with way less speed but better defensively and better goal scorer
Or like Crosby but with youth on his side and size
Or like McKinnon with better defensive awareness and better goal scorer
So all in all if things continue, he is and will continue to be the best player in hockey this year and years to come

 

[supermann_98]

Matthews has 13 more goals than Taylor Hall, Jack Eichel and Jeff Skinner combined.

How is this possible? The main boards had a poll and the majority say Eichel is a better player and they'd rather start a franchise with him

 

[Teeder Keon]

Since Mathews came into the league he has 174 goals, only one player, Ovechkin has more 186.

Which is extraordinary in itself for both players

 

[Jozay]

 

[weems]

Since Mathews came into the league he has 174 goals, only one player, Ovechkin has more 186.

And his first two seasons he didnt even play on the teams #1 pp with Mitch.

Scary to think his goal totals could be even higher if he had been given more minutes.

 

[Joey Hoser]

How is this possible? The main boards had a poll and the majority say Eichel is a better player and they'd rather start a franchise with him

When was that?

 

[Twine Tickler]

It is absolutely remarkable what he is doing right now. Such a treat to watch. He has put himself in that upper echelon of elite talent in the league (McDavid, Draisatl, McKinnon). He will likely go down as the greatest Leaf of all time, and also greatest American born player in NHL history. What impresses me the most, is his work ethic. Similar to McDavid, these guys are the hardest working players on the ice. So cool to see how hard Auston works on his craft. This is a guy who easily could collect his pay cheque and go through the motions. He is almost consistently the hardest working guy on the ice, and works every year to improve something. Never thought he would ever be in the same conversation as McDavid, but he is so deserving of it at this point. McDavid is still the best player on the planet, and I'd say its still a healthy margin as well. But Matthews is really making a case to be the second best player in the world, Which is totallllllly OK with me

 

[Mickey Marner]

While last night was a bit of a stat padding game, he's only been held scoreless once, coincidentally against Ottawa. His game-to-game consistency is really what's taken him to the next level.

 

[Menzinger]

And his first two seasons he didnt even play on the teams #1 pp with Mitch.

Scary to think his goal totals could be even higher if he had been given more minutes.

Best goal scorer in the NHL.

 

[supermann_98]

While last night was a bit of a stat padding game, he's only been held scoreless once, coincidentally against Ottawa. His game-to-game consistency is really what's taken him to the next level.

Mcdavid and Drai have both had stat padding games and nobody seems to mind. There was that one game they both had 6 points in like a 8-4 game or whatever, so I have no problem with our guys stats padding once in awhile

 

[supermann_98]

When was that?

Eichel vs Matthews

Interesting... Eichel was winning this poll handily before the season but now Matthews is leading. I guess it's like they say, men lie women lie, numbers don't.

 

[MattySnipes]

Even strength goals after 299 games played.

1. Lemieux 143
2. Matthews 132
3. Beliveau 101
4. Lafleur 101

 

[Dekes For Days]

Even strength goals after 299 games played.

1. Lemieux 143
2. Matthews 132
3. Beliveau 101
4. Lafleur 101

Even Strength goals through first 299 GP:

1. Lemieux: 143
2: Matthews: 132
3. Ovechkin: 126

Even Strength Goals through first 299 GP, no EN goals:

1. Lemieux: 135
2. Matthews: 129
3. Ovechkin: 118

Lemiux and Matthews started at age 19. Ovechkin started at age 20.

 

[Teeder Keon]

Eichel vs Matthews

Interesting... Eichel was winning this poll handily before the season but now Matthews is leading. I guess it's like they say, men lie women lie, numbers don't.

But men love to lie with women

 

[Dekes For Days]

Even Strength goals through first 299 GP:

1. Lemieux: 143
2: Matthews: 132
3. Ovechkin: 126

Even Strength Goals through first 299 GP, no EN goals:

1. Lemieux: 135
2. Matthews: 129
3. Ovechkin: 118

Lemiux and Matthews started at age 19. Ovechkin started at age 20.

And I know people have all these false ideas about per-60 that they can't get past, so let's look at their PP scoring in a different way.

Through the first 299 GP of the careers of those three players (Lemieux, Matthews, Ovechkin), here was the rate at which each team they were on was getting PP opportunities...

Pittsburgh: 5.12 PPO/GP
Washington: 4.90 PPO/GP
Toronto: 2.77 PPO/GP

Over 299 GP, this would equal...

Pittsburgh: 1531 PP opportunities
Washington: 1465 PP opportunities
Toronto: 828 PP opportunities

Looking at their respective PP goal-scoring within the context of the PP opportunities their team got, their PP scoring suddenly becomes almost identical, with Matthews actually ahead.

Matthews averaged 1 PPG every 20 PP opportunities his team got.
Lemieux averaged 1 PPG every 21 PP opportunities his team got.
Ovechkin averaged 1 PPG every 21 PP opportunities his team got.

Now, we don't have Lemieux's exact PP TOI/GP, as that information wasn't collected back then, but we do have the percentage of their team's PP time that Ovechkin and Matthews played through those first 299 GP...

Ovechkin: 74.1% of his team's PP time.
Matthews: 57.8% of his team's PP time.

I think it's reasonable to assume that Lemieux's PP time percentage was higher than what Matthews got, which was historically incredibly low for that level of player.

To put it all together...

Matthews averaged 1 PPG every 20 PP opportunities his team got, while getting 57.8% of his team's PP time.
Lemieux averaged 1 PPG every 21 PP opportunities his team got, while getting ???% of his team's PP time.
Ovechkin averaged 1 PPG every 21 PP opportunities his team got, while getting 74.1% of his team's PP time.

And again, Lemiux and Matthews started at age 19. Ovechkin started at age 20. Add in that unlike Lemieux and Ovechkin, Matthews was forced to play on his team's 2nd unit without the team's best players for 2 entire years, and, well... let's just say we're witnessing greatness right now. Enjoy it.

 

[MattySnipes]

And I know people have all these false ideas about per-60 that they can't get past, so let's look at their PP scoring in a different way.

Through the first 299 GP of the careers of those three players (Lemieux, Matthews, Ovechkin), here was the rate at which each team they were on was getting PP opportunities...

Pittsburgh: 5.12 PPO/GP
Washington: 4.90 PPO/GP
Toronto: 2.77 PPO/GP

Over 299 GP, this would equal...

Pittsburgh: 1531 PP opportunities
Washington: 1465 PP opportunities
Toronto: 828 PP opportunities

Looking at their respective PP goal-scoring within the context of the PP opportunities their team got, their PP scoring suddenly becomes almost identical, with Matthews actually ahead.

Matthews averaged 1 PPG every 20 PP opportunities his team got.
Lemieux averaged 1 PPG every 21 PP opportunities his team got.
Ovechkin averaged 1 PPG every 21 PP opportunities his team got.

Now, we don't have Lemieux's exact PP TOI/GP, as that information wasn't collected back then, but we do have the percentage of their team's PP time that Ovechkin and Matthews played through those first 299 GP...

Ovechkin: 74.1% of his team's PP time.
Matthews: 57.8% of his team's PP time.

I think it's reasonable to assume that Lemieux's PP time percentage was higher than what Matthews got, which was historically incredibly low for that level of player.

To put it all together...

Matthews averaged 1 PPG every 20 PP opportunities his team got, while getting 57.8% of his team's PP time.
Lemieux averaged 1 PPG every 21 PP opportunities his team got, while getting ???% of his team's PP time.
Ovechkin averaged 1 PPG every 21 PP opportunities his team got, while getting 74.1% of his team's PP time.

And again, Lemiux and Matthews started at age 19. Ovechkin started at age 20. Add in that unlike Lemieux and Ovechkin, Matthews was forced to play on his team's 2nd unit without the team's best players for 2 entire years, and, well... let's just say we're witnessing greatness right now. Enjoy it.

Great breakdown Dekes. Thank you.

 

[Joey Hoser]

Eichel vs Matthews

Interesting... Eichel was winning this poll handily before the season but now Matthews is leading. I guess it's like they say, men lie women lie, numbers don't.

The fact that it's even close is just as laughable.

 

[willmma]

Can Matthews get 50G in 50GP?

 

[keonsbitterness]

Even strength goals after 299 games played.

1. Lemieux 143
2. Matthews 132
3. Beliveau 101
4. Lafleur 101

That is very elite company.

One thing on Lafleur -- he was actually considered a bust after three years. Didn't start putting up big numbers until his fourth season.

 

[authentic]

Even Strength goals through first 299 GP:

1. Lemieux: 143
2: Matthews: 132
3. Ovechkin: 126

Even Strength Goals through first 299 GP, no EN goals:

1. Lemieux: 135
2. Matthews: 129
3. Ovechkin: 118

Lemiux and Matthews started at age 19. Ovechkin started at age 20.

Where does Gretzky rank here? Gretzky scored more at even strength than Lemieux did and got off to a better start in his career, he must be #1. Nonetheless, this is amazing.

 

[Dekes For Days]

Where does Gretzky rank here? Gretzky scored more at even strength than Lemieux did and got off to a better start in his career, he must be #1. Nonetheless, this is amazing.

I assume Gretzky has to be #1. He's just ridiculous.

Even Strength goals through first 299 GP:

1. Gretzky: 174

Even Strength Goals through first 299 GP, no EN goals:

1. Gretzky: 165