Keefe says Tavares, Matthews will be leaned on more

New head coach Sheldon Keefe explained that the decision to give Nathan MacKinnon a matchup was situational. He highlighted Nazem Kadri’s strong performance in the same game. Keefe acknowledged relying heavily on Tavares and Matthews but suggested diversifying their involvement in future games.

Matthews logged 20:43 of ice time against the Avalanche, up from his season average of 19:47, while Tavares typically sees about 18:31 per game.

The Leafs narrowly secured victory against the Avalanche following a convincing win in Keefe’s debut against the Coyotes.

Keefe emphasized the situational nature of ice time allocation, noting that both players had significant ice time in the Arizona game, which allowed for spreading it out more evenly as the game progressed.

Despite Matthews’s impressive goal-scoring rate of 16 goals in 25 games (projecting to 53 goals over a full season), Tavares has only managed six goals in 18 games (projecting to 27 goals over 82 games). Tavares has experienced a four-game point drought, twice as long as his previous dry spell with the Leafs. He expressed the need for consistency and improvement, acknowledging missed opportunities.

Mike Babcock, in his last media appearance before his dismissal as head coach, mentioned Tavares’s ongoing recovery from a broken right index finger sustained on October 16. Tavares returned to the lineup after three weeks but admitted to some adjustment due to the injury. Nonetheless, he maintains high expectations for himself.

Under Keefe, the Tavares line underwent changes, with rookie Ilya Mikheyev joining and Zach Hyman shifting to his strong side. Keefe praised their performance, particularly against tough opponents like the MacKinnon line in Colorado.

Tavares downplayed the significance of the line changes, suggesting they haven’t altered the team’s dynamic significantly.

On the power play, Tavares has been reassigned to the net-front position, where he had success last season with 10 power-play goals. However, he has only scored once on the power play this season. The team aims to utilize the lower part of the ice more effectively, with Tyson Barrie’s addition on the left flank attracting attention. Barrie’s goal against the Avalanche showcased the team’s strategy of using the low part of the ice to create scoring opportunities.

Tavares praised Barrie’s shooting ability and mobility, noting his effectiveness in generating scoring chances from different areas on the ice.