The Leafs‘ 7-2-0 record during Matthews’ absence made it easy to gloss over the fact that the team struggled to score at five-on-five, potting just nine five-on-five goals in that time, the worst mark in the league.
Goaltending aside, the Leafs rode a hot power play during Matthews’ time away. The Leafs had the second-best power play in the league in those nine games, clicking at a 32.4 percent success rate. Marner recorded nine power-play points during this span, only matched by Martin Necas league-wide, while Nylander racked up eight power-play points (everyone tied with Nylander played at least three more games).