Matthews’s drought quietly hits 10 games; 19 year old among NHL leaders in shots
TORONTO — One Toronto Maple Leafs rookie quietly put an end to a lengthy goal drought on Tuesday night, but it was not Auston Matthews.
William Nylander, lingering in Matthews’s shadow all season-long, scored the Leafs’ sixth and final goal in a 6-2 win over the Nashville Predators. It was the first goal for the 20 year old since Oct. 25, a dry spell of nine games that was actually equal to Matthews, heading into the night, if lacking anywhere near the same attention.
“Of course, it’s nice being able to be on the side a little bit,” Nylander said with a grin, referring to all the extra attention and pressure Matthews faced.
Matthews had a team-high five shots in Toronto’s sixth win in eight tries at home, but failed to score for the 10th consecutive game. The 19-year-old, who has only two assists during the offensive slowdown, was relatively quiet in almost 18 minutes against the Predators. He did muster a pair of quality chances against fill-in goaltender Marek Mazanec, including an attempt from the top of the face-off circle in the second period which sailed through traffic and nearly found the back of the net.