Auston Matthews Playoff Stats, How Maple Leafs Star Performs on NHL's Biggest Stage

The Toronto Maple Leafs once again find themselves on the brink of elimination from the Stanley Cup playoffs after blowing a 2–0 series lead against the Florida Panthers by losing three straight games to fall behind 3–2.

With a pivotal Game 6 looming, fans in Toronto have not been so passive about their disdain for the lackluster play of captain Auston Matthews, who remains without a goal through the first five games of the series.

Unfortunately for Maple Leafs fans, Matthews's postseason struggles are nothing new. Throughout his tenure with the team, Toronto has never reached a conference finals as its star-studded core has frequently underperformed in the biggest moments.

We're going to take a look at how Matthews has fared throughout his career in the playoffs.

Auston Matthews Career Playoff Stats

In his nine NHL seasons, Matthews has played in a total of 66 playoff games. He's registered a total of 58 points, including 25 goals and 33 assists.

Matthews's best postseason came in 2023 when he had 11 points in 11 games. The Maple Leafs advanced to the second round of the playoffs that year, their longest stay in the Stanley Cup playoffs since Matthews joined the team, but were bounced in a five-game series by the Panthers.

This year, Matthews has 10 points in 11 games in the playoffs, but just two goals. Through five games against Florida, the 27-year-old has still not put a puck in the back of the net. Matthews has never scored more than five goals in a single postseason, though he's scored at least once in all nine of his trips to the playoffs.

Auston Matthews Stats in Playoff Elimination Games

The Maple Leafs are no strangers to playing in the postseason with their backs against the wall, though they still haven't figured out how to get past the second round.

In Matthews' rookie season, Toronto was eliminated by the Washington Capitals in six games. During the closeout Game 6 of that series, Matthews scored a goal, but the Maple Leafs lost 2–1. The following year, the team lost in seven games to the Boston Bruins after falling into a 3–1 deficit early in the series. In the three games in which Toronto faced elimination, Matthews did not record a single goal.

The Maple Leafs were again eliminated in a seven-game series by the Bruins in 2019. Toronto took a 3–2 series lead in Game 5, and Matthews scored a goal in Game 6 but was held off the score sheet in Game 7 as his team crashed out of the postseason yet again.

In 2020, the Maple Leafs lost in the qualifying round against the Columbus Blue Jackets in a five-game series. No. 34 scored the overtime winner in Game 4 of that series, but Toronto was shut out in Game 5, sealing their elimination from the playoffs.

In 2021, a loss in seven games to the Montreal Canadiens saw the Maple Leafs suffer another early playoff exit. In that series, Toronto took a 3–1 lead before failing to get the job done. Matthews did not score in any of the final three games of the series as the Habs managed to make a stunning comeback to advance to the next round.

The Maple Leafs were beaten in the first round once again in 2022, falling in seven games against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Toronto held a 3–2 lead in the series heading into Games 6 and 7, Matthews scored in Game 6, but the Leafs lost in overtime, and he did not score in Game 7.

The team got its revenge on the Lightning in 2023, defeating Tampa Bay in a six-game first-round series. Matthews scored a goal in Game 5 after Toronto had built a 3–1 lead in the series, but they lost that game 4–2. In Game 6, the Leafs were able to clinch their ticket to the second round with a 2–1 overtime win, during which Matthews scored the first goal of the game. The team went on to lose in a five-game series in the second round against the Panthers. Matthews did not score in either elimination game after Toronto fell behind 3–0.

In 2024, the Maple Leafs lost again to the Boston Bruins in the first round in seven games. They fell behind 3–1 in the first four games, and Matthews failed to register a goal in Games 5, 6 and 7.

That brings us to this season. In the first round, the Maple Leafs jumped out to a 3–0 lead against the Ottawa Senators but needed six games to close out the series. Matthews was held without a goal in Games 4 and 5, but got back on the scoresheet in the pivotal Game 6 when he scored the first goal of the contest.

In total, Matthews has six goals in 25 games when the Maple Leafs are on the brink of elimination or within one win of advancing to the next round. Considering his status as one of the league's top goal scorers, those numbers fall well short of expectations.

The spotlight hasn't always been kind to Matthews in the playoffs, and he and the Maple Leafs are once again up against elimination against the Panthers. With no goals in the series, Matthews will be looking to keep his team alive by getting one past Florida's goalie Sergei Bobrovsky.