“There’s 31 teams that go home very disappointed, and obviously we’re one of them, so it’s not a great feeling.” No, it was not a great end to the season for Auston Matthews and the Toronto Maple Leafs, to say the least. After years of playoff heartbreak, bowing out again, this time in Round 2, was not what they envisioned. It was especially disappointing for Matthews, whose leadership and winning mentality have been questioned by the NHL community since the exit. And now, another damning stat has come out, and it doesn’t paint a good picture of ‘Captain America’ at all.
Let’s change the setting, shall we? From the Scotiabank Arena, we go to the American Airlines Center. The Edmonton Oilers have just made it to their 2nd straight Stanley Cup finals, after clinching the 5th game of the Western Conference Series against the Dallas Stars. The game score was 6-3 with Connor McDavid scoring the winning goal. But what’s all this got to do with Auston Matthews?
Well, one Twitter user, DNL, made the following tweet on May 29: “Jeff Skinner has scored more career conference final goals than Auston Matthews, despite having played only two playoff games in his career.” This came after 33-year-old Jeff Skinner scored the 3rd Oilers goal in the 6-3 win. And with that, fans have found yet another way to troll Matthews.
Jeff Skinner has scored more career conference final goals than Auston Matthews, despite having played only two playoff games in his career.
— DNL (@OilerAnalytics) May 30, 2025
Both of Jeff Skinner’s 2 playoff games have come this year in the Conference Championship round. And his only playoff goal is the one that is more than Matthews has in the Conference round. It’s difficult to believe, isn’t it? Matthews has played 68 playoff games, yet has no goal in the Conference Round? Well, that’s because the Maple Leafs captain has never made it to the 3rd round ever.
9 consecutive seasons since 2016, and neither Auston Matthews nor the Toronto Maple Leafs have made it past the 2nd round in the playoffs. And that’s what all the fuss has been about. How the Maple Leafs have promised, but failed to deliver. Meanwhile, Jeff Skinner played his part in the Edmonton Oilers roster and is closer to a Stanley Cup ring than Auston Matthews ever will be.
The closest Matthews ever got was this year, but it’s the same old, same old story for Toronto.
Big changes and rekindled hope, but Auston Matthews’ Maple Leafs falter again
The Maple Leafs fan really thought it was this year they would end the 67-year-old wait for a Stanley Cup. Auston Matthews was announced as the new captain in August 2024, and the Leafs started with a new vigor. And it looked like they were going in the right direction. They won the Atlantic Division ahead of the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Florida Panthers.
Credit: X / @MapleLeafs
Then they dispatched the Ottawa Senators 4-2. All professionally done, and they were amongst the front-runners to win the Stanley Cup till then. And the odds tilted more in their favor after their amazing start in the 2nd round against the Panthers. Auston Matthews’ men took a 2-0 lead in the series. Their fans were dreaming of the Leafs ending their abject playoff story while taking down the defending Stanley Cup Champs.
But what came next? 3 back-to-back losses in a row. 3-2 down in the series. Somehow, the Leafs stave off elimination with a brave 2-0 win in Game 6. And then, in the do-or-die Game 7, boy, how Matthews’ men fell flat on their faces. They surrendered so meekly, without putting up a fight. A 6-1 humbling, that too on home ice, and the Leafs fans were booing their team, throwing jerseys on the ice to express their displeasure. They have had enough.
And now, if there was a chance that the Leafs fans had forgotten how bad their playoff journey has been year after year, this Jeff Skinner goal will once again bring that anger and the frustration. But the main question is: Are the Maple Leafs learning anything from this?
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