Maple Leafs Rumors and News: Matthews, Robertson, and Bellows
The Toronto Maple Leafs will try to win their second game in a row when they host the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday night. The Senators’ goalie is Joonas Korpisalo, and the Maple Leafs’ goalie is Martin Jones.
Jones’ debut was announced as I was finishing this post. With Joseph Woll out with an ankle injury and Ilya Samsonov dealing with issues, this will be his fourth start in five games.
In six appearances this season, Jones has a 4-1-0 record, a 2.79 goals-against-average (GAA), and a.917 save percentage.
The Senators have the ability to score. For the 2023-24 season, they are ranked tenth in the NHL in terms of goals per game.
In this edition of Maple Leafs News & Rumors, I’ll discuss the game as well as two other topics in the form of questions and answers.
Item 1: Can Auston Matthews hit eight consecutive games?
Tonight marks the end of Auston Matthews’ seven-game goal-scoring streak. Surprisingly, the Senators are the last team to keep Matthews scoreless.
Having said that, I doubt he obsesses over such things. I’m only assuming, but he might remember the last time the squad from the nation’s capital held him without a shot. Nonetheless, his Maple Leafs club won the game 4-3.
Matthews has 12 goals in his last seven games. He has 14 goals in his last nine games.
While he isn’t winning the Rocket Richard Trophy, he is making it difficult for others to keep up.
He currently leads the league in goals with 28.
This includes a big 7-0 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins while he was sick and couldn’t play.
In terms of historical significance, Matthews is the only player to score more than 27 goals in his first 30 games of a season since Jaromir Jagr did it 27 years ago in 1996-97.
Item two: Will the Maple Leafs’ third line be able to maintain their chemistry?
I wrote on Nick Robertson’s season yesterday, saying it’s been a good one for the 22-year-old former number-one Maple Leafs prospect on the team’s third line. Robertson has established synergy with linemates Max Domi and Calle Jarnkrok after joining the NHL from the American Hockey League’s (AHL) Toronto Marlies in early November. The synergy between them has been clear, and they have become more potent and effective scorers as a result.
Jarnkrok, 32, is on track to set a new personal best. Through 31 games, he had a career-high eight goals and 17 points. Domi has 18 points in 31 games (three goals and 15 assists). Robertson has already equaled his point total in the 31 games he played at the NHL level in his three previous seasons with the Maple Leafs, with three goals and six assists in 20 games this season. He had three goals and four assists in those games.
