LAS VEGAS -- Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews has always known that life without Mitch Marner would be different.
"He always brought a lot of energy," Matthews said here Thursday, before facing off against Marner as a Golden Knight for the first time. "He was always in the mix, always making guys laugh and keeping things light ... He's a close friend. We definitely keep in touch with him."
While Thursday night's game at T-Mobile Arena will mark the first meeting between the teams since Marner left in a sign-and-trade in the summer, Matthews has played against him before. Last February's 4 Nations Face-Off final in Boston didn't end well for Matthews and Team USA. Marner's feed to Connor McDavid, past the outstretched stick of Matthews, set up the overtime winner for Canada. There might be a rematch next month at the Milan Cortina Olympics.
Matthews' struggles early this season were often attributed to playing without Marner, whose passing skills and hockey sense lined up well with the Leafs centre's shooting prowess and equally crafty 200-foot game. Marner assisted on 152 Matthews goals, more than any other player. Toronto's captain, however, doesn't buy into that narrative.
"I didn't play with him my whole entire time here," said Matthews. "There's always adjustments when you're playing with different guys. But in the end, it doesn't matter who you're playing with. When guys have different tendencies, you've got to make those adjustments."
Players come and go, but few left an imprint like Marner did. He has been close with Matthews since they played together in rookie camp the summer of 2016, fresh off Matthews being drafted first overall; Marner went No. 4 the year before. Leafs veterans Morgan Rielly and William Nylander also starting playing with Marner in 2016, and John Tavares since 2018. Max Domi skated with him in junior.
"I'm still very good buddies with a lot of them," Marner told reporters in Los Angeles on Wednesday night, after scoring the second Vegas goal in a 3-2 overtime win over the Kings. "They're like brothers."
Said Tavares: "He's always been a great player to play with, and a very close friend. That won't change, but obviously we're competing against each other."
This season has been more of a grind for Matthews, whose had a variety of wingers flanking him. Through the first month, Matthews had nine goals and five assists in 16 games. An injury kept him out of the next five, which had folks wondering if last season’s injury-related saga (including a mysterious trip to Germany) would repeat itself.
His return from that absence (five goals and four assists over the next 13 games) did little to change the narrative that he and the Leafs were finding the adjustment to life after Marner more difficult than expected. At that point the Leafs power play, which Marner used to quarterback, ranked dead last in the NHL.
"He was a guy that touched all parts of the game, had an impact on the team," coach Craig Berube said of Marner. "Matthews and him played together for a long time. There's always an adjustment."
On Dec. 23, something clicked. The Leafs beat Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins 6-3 at Scotiabank Arena, starting a run that has returned them to respectability. That win started an 11-game stretch in which the Leafs picked up 18 points, tied with the Tampa Bay Lightning for the NHL's best record in that span.
The struggling power play that cost assistant coach Marc Savard his job also turned around. It was operating at 13.3 per cent efficiency (12 goals in 90 chances) before beating the Penguins. Heading into Thursday night, it was at 28.1 per cent since then (seven goals in 25 chances, ninth in the league).
Leading the charge has been Matthews with eight goals and six assists over that stretch. He's back on pace to surpass 40 goals after dipping to a career-low 33 last year, and once again recording shots over 80 miles an hour, with three of his hardest of the season coming in January. His speed is also up, reaching a season-best 35.6 km/h on Jan. 6 against the Florida Panthers.
"Confidence can have a lot to do with that," said Matthews. "I think over the last month or so, I've felt like I’ve had the puck a lot in the middle of the ice where I want it with speed, and being able to use my linemates. We’re doing a good job of using each other, too."
The teams will meet again next Friday in Toronto, where the reception from Marner's one-time fans will be a story in itself. But the Leafs seem to have finally moved on.
"We're kind of past all that with Mitch," said Berube.