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C Auston Matthews (2016, 1st, TOR) VII

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ijuka said:
This will be interesting to see. I wonder if Matthews can stabilize himself as the third line center over the course of the tournament. That might be within reach.
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I think they might assign Matthews a certain checking role on the team which I'm sure he'll be good at. Personally I'd like to see how he does on Eichel's wing or centering Eichel.
 
Matthews with a beautiful scoring chance in his first shift. Damn he's good.
 
Matthews lost the puck then stole it back and created another scoring chance. Followed the rebound with a solid cycle in the corner. His shiftiness with the puck down low is unreal. Undressed the d-man in the corner.
 
If his diving shot off the faceoff counts, then Matthews already has 3 SOG in the first 10 mins.
 
End of first. 3 not so great turnovers (2 in ozone, one in neutral). 3 shots on net. 2 takeaways. 2 forced turnovers that led to scoring chances. Won almost every corner puck battle. His puck skills and control in small spaces is absolutely insane. Displayed some of the best skills out of all NA.

He looks like he has extra jump right now b/c I'm guessing he wants to prove to the coach he deserves to stay in the lineup. We'll see how he does when the adrenaline wears off.
 
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ViewsFromThe6ix said:
Kid looks great out there.
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Way, waaaaaay better than I expected. His PP unit just scored. Play started with a shot high by Matthews. He also drove the play that drew the penalty.

Team NA is exciting as hell to watch too. Don't care if it's a gimmick. It's a fantastic either way.
 
Matthews has looked very good so far, I agree. Team NA also is so crazy fast the big nations are going to have to watch out.
 
TDK88 said:
Way, waaaaaay better than I expected. His PP unit just scored. Play started with a shot high by Matthews. He also drove the play that drew the penalty.

Team NA is exciting as hell to watch too. Don't care if it's a gimmick. It's a fantastic either way.
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Yeah he just forced the turnover that lead to the RNH goal. He looks exactly as advertised defensively.
 
Hemmed in his own zone for a bit with a chance to get the puck out but stripped by Kopitar. Not a great shift.
 
TDK88 said:
Hemmed in his own zone for a bit with a chance to get the puck out but stripped by Kopitar. Not a great shift.
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To be fair, Kopitar is a pretty good two way player himself :sarcasm:

Think he slowed down as the game went on but he was still very effective at causing turnovers with his speed, body positioning and stick work. Created a lot of unnoticed plays that resulted in great scoring chances and goals.
 
1st- Great
2nd- Good
3rd- Mehh.

Was probably the best team to play against the 1st game, make some successfull plays, boost confidence and get the game going.

The guy looks quick.
 
BB88 said:
1st- Great
2nd- Good
3rd- Mehh.

Was probably the best team to play against the 1st game, make some successfull plays, boost confidence and get the game going.

The guy looks quick.
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Agree.

But I think your period summation can be applied to almost every Canadian player except Mackinnon (who would be the reverse)

All in all, for a Leafs fan, that was as good as you could have hoped for Matthews. He belongs here
 
BB88 said:
1st- Great
2nd- Good
3rd- Mehh.

Was probably the best team to play against the 1st game, make some successfull plays, boost confidence and get the game going.

The guy looks quick.
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Think he did quite well in the 3rd, but the 1st period was definitely his best. Didn't get the puck much on his stick as a winger towards the end, with Europe playing better as the game went on.

The players on his line only got 13 minutes each, have to think they'll play more after their performance today.
 
BB88 said:
1st- Great
2nd- Good
3rd- Mehh.

Was probably the best team to play against the 1st game, make some successfull plays, boost confidence and get the game going.

The guy looks quick.
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Man if someone recorded a game on PVR and made a video of MacKinnon turning the puck over while Matthews right beside him would be hilarious. It would be like same s*** playing over and over again lol.
 
leafsfuture said:
Agree.

But I think your period summation can be applied to almost every Canadian player except Mackinnon (who would be the reverse)

All in all, for a Leafs fan, that was as good as you could have hoped for Matthews. He belongs here
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TheLeastOfTheBunch said:
Think he did quite well in the 3rd, but the 1st period was definitely his best. Didn't get the puck much on his stick as a winger towards the end, with Europe playing better as the game went on.

The players on his line only got 13 minutes each, have to think they'll play more after their performance today.
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I thought he wasn't able to use team Europes weak(brutal) play as well as some of the forwards were on the 3rd, he was more of a passenger on that period, but on the 1st his line with McDavids was the best.

By the looks of it they could go with pretty balanced icetimes per each of the top3 lines, 15-16 mins per line, high speed 60 min games and give 4th line a bit less.

This tourney should give a nice boost to his NHL career.
 
Neutral fan, I thought Matthews played excellent today. His skating looks improved as well. I was most impressed with his neutral zone and defensive play, he forced many turnovers.

Him and Barkov are actually fairly comparable players and should become among the top 2-way centres in the NHL in the coming years.
 
Good: Fantastic 1st period. Came out flying and looked like the best player on the ice other than McDavid. Whole game--good zone entries, shot attempts (6-7 but only 2 that got through), O-zone and N-zone pressure to force turnovers. His control down low and in corners is unbelievable. So shifty and quick that if he gets 1-2 clean seconds with the puck he can break ankles left and right.

OK: Energy waned later on. Maybe adrenaline came down, but his initial buzzing declined. Still lacking true explosiveness. 50/50ish on zone exits.

Not Good: Gave up the puck a couple of times through simple gaffes in thinking/execution. Had one of the lower ice times on the team, not sure if that means anything.
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Overall I thought he was maybe the 4th or 5th best forward. Considering how stacked the team is and how he's fighting for a regular spot, that's pretty damn good. He stood out and impressed on one of the best rosters in the tournament.
 
So heavy on the fore check, that line was. He's alot to handle for defensemen turning around trying to retrieve the puck or make the first pass.
 

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