What’s going on with the Maple Leafs’ Auston Matthews?

The face of the Toronto Maple Leafs’ franchise has struggled through his first two games of the Stanley Cup playoffs so what’s going on with Auston Matthews?

Two games, two unfavorable results.

To the surprise of the hockey world, the Toronto Maple Leafs’ 5-1 loss to the Boston Bruins on Thursday night was met with an even more astonishing defeat on Saturday evening. They exited Game 2 with their heads hung low, as a final score of 7-3 lit up TD Garden’s jumbotron. That, coupled with the sound of almost 20,000 fans screaming, singing and chanting in the spirit of victory brought back painful memories of 2013.

Surely this was supposed to be a thing of the past. Surely Leafs Nation had put that monster of a Game 7 to bed for good.

The past two matchups — undoubtedly the worst of Toronto’s 2017-18 campaign — are a timely reminder of the fact that although the Leafs stand ahead of schedule, the Buds still have an awful lot to learn. The same team that finished in last place just two seasons back has certainly taken the NHL by storm. But ushering forward a culture of winning ways that extend into the playoffs never comes easily.

Just ask Sidney Crosby, Patrick Kane, Evgeni Malkin or Anze Kopitar. It takes years of hard lessons to win a Stanley Cup.

Let’s be clear: the Leafs’ entire roster is complicit in these troubling losses. Nazem Kadri’s recklessness resulted in a costly suspension. Frederik Andersen looks fatigued. To the dismay of the cautiously optimistic, the Buds’ blue line continues to falter. The power play and penalty kill are beyond hard to watch.

And yes, even Auston Matthews — the face of the franchise — has not been himself as of late.

Matthews’ performance, or lack thereof, does not come down to a matter of shocking giveaways, poor positioning or defensive blunders. He’s averaging 17:11 of ice time and has accumulated nine shots on goal, four hits, a faceoff win percentage of 55.6 percent and a -2 rating. Not great, but far from terrible.

Rather, it’s his lack of telling statistics that serve as a point of concern.

Over the course of the past two games, Matthews has not recorded any goals or assists. In contrast, the Bruins’ top line of Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak has accumulated 20 points. As any hockey fan will attest, six points in Game 1 was more than enough, but 14 points in Game 2 was nothing short of unprecedented.

Don’t be mistaken, nobody is taking this loss harder than the Leafs. The postgame comments of Matthews, Morgan Rielly and coach Mike Babcock show the entire team bears responsibility. The question how to proceed looms larger than ever.

If truth be told, I feel sorry for Matthews. At 20 years old, he’s now tasked with leading the Maple Leafs forward, which entails slipping through the slim cracks of the most sound line in the NHL. He’s faced a number of injuries and is endlessly compared to his rival, Patrik Laine, on any given day. The pressure is all but incomparable in the world of sports.

That said, the ball is now in Matthews’ court. With Monday night’s matchup comes a wave of redemptive possibilities. Almost 20,000 fans will be cheering his name as the Leafs host the Bruins in what promises to be the most important game thus far for each team. A win can change the momentum of the series. A loss shall only further sow the seeds of doubt.

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The circumstances are far from favorable. But as Matthews puts the two most difficult games of his young career to rest, he’ll be looking to rewrite history. Win or lose, it’s all part of the learning curve for one of the NHL’s most exciting young talents.

After all, it’s in the thick of times like these that lines are drawn between good players and great ones.