'It's Not Exactly What I Want To See': Why The Maple Leafs Are Hesitant To Split Up Mitch Marner And Auston Matthews Against Panthers

Mar 19, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner (16) and Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews (34) during a break in the action against the Colorado Avalanche at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube is in no hurry to break up the Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner pairing.

After combining for 15 points in six games against the Ottawa Senators in the first round, the pair scored seven points in round two against the Florida Panthers in three games. (The Panthers shut out the Maple Leafs in Game 4.)

Under former head coach Sheldon Keefe, if something didn't work, he'd switch it. That occurred several times, in the regular season and playoffs. However, Berube has been hesitant to move Matthews and Marner away from each other if the points aren't there.

Why?

"It's not all about scoring for me and for them. I mean, it's about the game, playing 200 feet, doing all the little things that need to be done," Berube said Tuesday.

"I've gone away from them for a bit. It's fine, but it's not exactly what I want to see, so I put them back together. They've been a great pair for a long time."

He's not wrong on the latter point. Since they were placed together on a line several years ago, Matthews and Marner have been dynamite. The duo complement each other well, with Matthews' goalscoring and Marner's playmaking ability.

Why move away from that?

Against the Panthers, the Matthew Knies, Matthews, and Marner line has outscored their opposition 5-2 at five-on-five. Although they've been outchanced 20-27 throughout the series, the trio has more high-danger chances (10-9).

Knies, Matthews, and Marner have also been on the ice for the most defensive zone faceoffs on the Maple Leafs, by a long shot. Their 24 defensive zone draws are seven more than the fourth line of Steven Lorentz, Scott Laughton, and Calle Jarnkrok.

It's not just the defensive zone where Toronto's top line is relied upon, though.

The trio has also taken more draws in the offensive and neutral zones — 67 altogether — than any other line on the team. It's 28 more than Toronto's second line of Max Pacioretty, John Tavares, and William Nylander.

An outlier in all of this, however, is Matthews' lack of goalscoring.

The 27-year-old is tied for fifth on the Maple Leafs in goals with two through 10 games. Matthews hasn't scored since Game 6 against Ottawa. Others have picked up his slack, with Nylander, Tavares, and Knies combining for 16 goals in the playoffs.

Eventually, the Maple Leafs would like to see their star goal scorer find the back of the net, though.

"Big goal's coming. That's the way you've got to think about it," Berube said Monday after their Game 4 shutout loss.

"He's out there killing penalties. He's going against top lines. He's checking, working, competing, a lot of good stuff. Yeah, we'd like him to score, and so would he. It's not easy to score in the playoffs, so I'm not overly worried about it."

If the Matthews line gets going in Game 5, it should be no problem for them to find the back of the net once or twice. As good as the Panthers have been in Games 3 and 4, the Maple Leafs did outplay them at home early in the series.

"Just stick to what we're doing. Stay patient with it," Marner said when asked about how the line can find offense in Game 5.

"We knew it wasn't going to be an easy series. They're a very good defensive team. They make you work for everything, so stick with what we're doing and trust our process."