<p>The <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/combinations">Toronto Maple Leafs</a> are headed into a pivotal game facing elimination, while Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner are facing the brunt of the criticism from the media and fanbase. Stop us if you&#8217;ve heard this one before.</p>
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<p>After the Leafs took their first round series against the Ottawa Senators and came to play in the first few games against the Florida Panthers, there were legitimate questions circulating about whether or not things might be different with the team. Fast forward a week, and the Leafs have dropped three straight games. Matthews is without a goal in the series and Marner hasn&#8217;t scored since Game 2.</p>
<p>Despite this, head coach Craig Berube is sticking to the lineup that&#8217;s won the most games so far, and that includes keeping the top line of Matthew Knies, Auston Matthews, and Mitch Marner together.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Craig Berube says splitting Auston Matthews &amp; Mitch Marner up this season didn&#39;t do much for the team </p>
<p>So, they remain together tonight</p>
<p>&quot;These guys have been a combo for a long time &amp; they&#39;ve had a lot of success. So, I trust them. I believe in them.&quot;<a href="https://twitter.com/TSN_Sports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TSN_Sports</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Mark Masters (@markhmasters) <a href="https://twitter.com/markhmasters/status/1923410941204381736?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 16, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
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<p>Matthews and Marner struggled hard in the Leafs&#8217; 6-1 loss in Game 5, particularly Marner. He tried to do too much with the little amount of space the Panthers were giving him, including a no-look spin-o-rama backhand pass that landed in Florida&#8217;s possession and led to the 3-0 goal. While Matthews did have his chances, and it&#8217;s believed that he&#8217;s still battling the nagging injury that&#8217;s plagued him all year, his play was not up to standard for the money he makes and the leadership role he has.</p>
<p>“Obviously the start wasn’t great.  The way that they play, I think we just fed into what makes them successful,” Matthews <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/auston-matthews-assesses-game-5-blowout-everybody-look-mirror-myself-included">said after Game 5</a>. “Thought they won the net fronts tonight. I thought they competed harder, won more puck battles. That’s the game. It’s really as simple as that. Just the little details. I don’t think we’re very sharp tonight in executing.”</p>
<div>He will be the first one to tell you that, though, and acknowledged it as such when asked about a jersey that a fan threw on the ice in the third period of Game 5.</div>
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<div class="mb-5">“I mean, I don’t think we gave them much reason to stick around,” Matthews said. “I think everybody’s gotta look in the mirror, myself included. Everybody wants to be better. Everybody wants to obviously win.”</div>
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<div>To say this is a pivotal game for the Leafs as a whole, but especially Matthews and Marner, would be the understatement of the century. With Marner&#8217;s contract set to expire after the season&#8217;s done, it&#8217;s the first time in a few years where the future of the core four has been up in the air. If they can find a way to deliver, push it to Game 7, and somehow find a way to take the series, all the doom-and-gloom on your timelines will evaporate. But it&#8217;s a tall task, and not one that can be completed with words.</div>
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The <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/combinations">Toronto Maple Leafs</a> are headed into a pivotal game facing elimination, while Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner are facing the brunt of the criticism from the media and fanbase. Stop us if you've heard this one before.
<div class="bam-inline-promotion-block" data-max-length="2" data-placement-id="2106" data-context="web-content-promocard" data-property-id="324"></div>
After the Leafs took their first round series against the Ottawa Senators and came to play in the first few games against the Florida Panthers, there were legitimate questions circulating about whether or not things might be different with the team. Fast forward a week, and the Leafs have dropped three straight games. Matthews is without a goal in the series and Marner hasn't scored since Game 2.

Despite this, head coach Craig Berube is sticking to the lineup that's won the most games so far, and that includes keeping the top line of Matthew Knies, Auston Matthews, and Mitch Marner together.

https://twitter.com/markhmasters/status/1923410941204381736

Matthews and Marner struggled hard in the Leafs' 6-1 loss in Game 5, particularly Marner. He tried to do too much with the little amount of space the Panthers were giving him, including a no-look spin-o-rama backhand pass that landed in Florida's possession and led to the 3-0 goal. While Matthews did have his chances, and it's believed that he's still battling the nagging injury that's plagued him all year, his play was not up to standard for the money he makes and the leadership role he has.

“Obviously the start wasn’t great.  The way that they play, I think we just fed into what makes them successful,” Matthews <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/auston-matthews-assesses-game-5-blowout-everybody-look-mirror-myself-included">said after Game 5</a>. “Thought they won the net fronts tonight. I thought they competed harder, won more puck battles. That’s the game. It’s really as simple as that. Just the little details. I don’t think we’re very sharp tonight in executing.”
<div>He will be the first one to tell you that, though, and acknowledged it as such when asked about a jersey that a fan threw on the ice in the third period of Game 5.</div>
<div></div>
<div>
<div class="mb-5">“I mean, I don’t think we gave them much reason to stick around,” Matthews said. “I think everybody’s gotta look in the mirror, myself included. Everybody wants to be better. Everybody wants to obviously win.”</div>
</div>
<div></div>
<div>To say this is a pivotal game for the Leafs as a whole, but especially Matthews and Marner, would be the understatement of the century. With Marner's contract set to expire after the season's done, it's the first time in a few years where the future of the core four has been up in the air. If they can find a way to deliver, push it to Game 7, and somehow find a way to take the series, all the doom-and-gloom on your timelines will evaporate. But it's a tall task, and not one that can be completed with words.</div>
<div></div>
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zp4Zp-k8B3g
<h3><strong>Sponsored by bet365</strong></h3>
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Craig Berube defends keeping Matthews and Marner together for Game 6: ‘I trust them’

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