The Toronto Maple Leafs superstar Auston Matthews has done it again! He has scored 60 goals in a season for the second time in his career, making him the only active NHL player to score 60 twice in their career.
Matthews has been lights out this season for the Maple Leafs; he is easily the team MVP this season. Typically, when he is feeling it, the team is feeling it; he is the engine that drives them. In the last two games, Matthews had been pushing to hit the 60-goal mark, and it showed with his shots on goal. Against the Washington Capitals, he had 10 shots on goal, and his linemates Tyler Bertuzzi and Max Domi were looking to feed him all game.
Then again against the Sabres, he was firing the puck on net a ton, with both Domi and Bertuzzi looking for him again. He finished the game with five shots on net, the most important one being his 60th goal.
On the season, he has 60 goals and 35 assists for 95 points, which is just 11 away from his career high of 106 that came in 2021–22 — the last time that he scored 60 goals. With the Maple Leafs only having nine games remaining, it is unlikely that he will pass that career high in points; however, he will definitely pass his career high in goals. Right now it is 60, but with the nine games remaining, it is more than likely that he will score more.
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But the question is, how many? Will he reach 70 goals? It is possible, and the club will probably give him a few games off at the end of the season to rest for the playoffs. Which means he may only have seven or eight games left, which isn’t impossible but will make scoring 70 hard. My guess is 65 goals, which is a very good accomplishment and is doable with how he is such a streaky goal scorer and now has all the momentum after finally scoring his 60th goal of the season.
Leafs Nation, embrace this! Embrace the feelings and the absolute pleasure it is to watch Matthews on a nightly basis. Yes, the team hasn’t performed overly well in the playoffs, but we could still be witnessing the greatest Maple Leafs of all time. Something that we may not see for another 20+ years, so soak this up and cherish these moments that Matthews gives us each and every season.
