Auston Matthews not getting superstitious as goal drought hits 13 games
TORONTO — Auston Matthews isn’t the superstitious sort, apparently.
The 19-year-old rookie had no plans to change things up for a stroke of good luck following a 13th consecutive game without a goal. There would be no altering of the tape on his sticks nor any differences in his pre- or post-game routines. Nearly a month without scoring has not caused the No. 1 overall pick to drastically alter anything.
“I’m not crazy like that I guess. Not too superstitious,” said Matthews following a 2-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday night, just the third in 10 games at home for Toronto (7-3-0) this season. “I have my own things that I do, that I’ve done since I was younger and I kind of just stick with it. It’s worked for me until this point so why change.”
Matthews was again an impactful force in a losing effort, firing four shots and seven attempts in over 20 minutes. His line, which also includes fellow rookies William Nylander and Zach Hyman, was Toronto’s most effective against the Hurricanes, a notoriously stingy group that held the Leafs under 30 shots for only the fifth time all season.