What’s nearly as remarkable as the way Auston Matthews scores his automatic goal every night to make history is his casual demeanour while pulling out his CCM quill and writing history.
“It’s cool,” a nonplussed Matthews told reporters in New Jersey.
This was moments after registering the most prolific goal-scoring season since before the Toronto Maple Leafs centre was born. Minutes after passing a boyhood hero, Alex Ovechkin, for most goals in a single season by an active player.
“It’s a big honour just to be in the same sentence as him,” Matthews continued, reading from a script he’s committed to memory at this point.
Achieving greatness is one thing; it’s quite another to expect it as routine.
Wake up, brush teeth, score a goal, go to bed, repeat.
“The process is the same every night. I find when you overthink it and almost want it too much, it almost doesn’t go your way,” Matthews said. “So, I just try to approach every game the same.”
By ripping his 66th goal Tuesday in a 5-2 cakewalk over the tee-time-booking New Jersey Devils, the 26-year-old’s tear toward his third Rocket Richard Trophy in four years, Matthews became the first NHLer to eclipse the 65-goal plateau since No. 66 himself, Mario Lemieux, in 1995-96.
Matthews has goals in six straight games. Eight over the past eight. Eleven in 11.
The purposefulness with in which he’s pursuing that nice, round, fat 70 is palpable.
And contagious in a Maple Leafs’ dressing room that, with playoff security a nonissue, has little else to rally around as it skates out the string.
“It’s just incredible, man,” says defenceman Jake McCabe. “We’re in awe just as much as you guys are watching.”
“It’s still crazy,” adds rookie Matthew Knies, an Arizonan inspired by the Scottsdale sniper. “Sixty was crazy. Sixty-five, you kind of look at in awe. It’s pretty incredible, what he can do. Cross my fingers, I want to see 70.”
And here’s winning goalie Joseph Woll: “Amazing. Each time he scores, makes me smile back there. So, I’m cheering for him as much as anyone. Fans, too. Everywhere we go, there’s ‘Aus-ton Mat-thews’ chants.”
Yes, Matthews is gunning for it. Make no mistake.
The guy has fired 85 shots on net over his past 19 games.
“Shooters shoot,” he once said. Which should probably be emblazoned on a T-shirt so dudes can wear it to the campus bar.
But Matthews’ pursuit of 70 is not at the sacrifice of defence or facilitating. (Matthews also has a dozen assists over those 19 games.)
From one cool guy to another, surf legend Kelly Slater anointed Oscar-nominated actor Don Cheadle with the nickname “Don-chalant” for his breezy nature.
In that vein, Auston might be “Matty-of-Fact” or “Mono-Tone” for the even-keeled way he goes about crushing record books and turning talented goaltenders into witnesses.
“He is himself,” coach Sheldon Keefe says. “He is poised. He is just going about his business. He loves to score goals, but he is not putting that ahead of the team.”
New Jersey’s Nico Hischier, a runner-up for the 2023 Selke Trophy but a dash-3 on this night, believes Auston Matthews should be nominated for the award this season.
“One hundred per cent,” Hischier told reporters. “He’s that kind of guy that doesn’t give a lot up for the team too. His stick work, stripping pucks away, that’s all on a high level. He should definitely be in there. It’s always hard when you score 65 goals to be the best defensive forward, but he definitely deserves to be in there.”
Devils interim coach Travis Green was skating in the league as a rookie when Alexander Mogilny and Teemu Selanne each tucked 76 goals in 1992-93, the most recent season to see anyone crack 69. Nice.
“The thing about Auston is, he’s a big centre that controls the game in many ways,” Green said. “Usually, guys that score that many goals are just pure goal scorers. It’s well known he brings a lot of other things to the game.”
The thing about the Maple Leafs’ franchise-record-setting 24th road win is, the Leafs didn’t go above and beyond to pad Matthews’ total in what Keefe accurately characterized as “a pretty tidy affair for us defensively.”
Leading 4-2 late, Keefe did not tap Matthews for an extra shift when Jersey pulled goalie Jake Allen early to give him an empty-net opportunity.
As fierce as the chase for 70 has been, it has not come at the expense of the greater good, and it has happened with reduced ice times for Toronto’s MVP.
Our take: Let Papi cook.
Stunting Matthews’ chase for history in the name of load management may be the “safe” play, sure. But it could also be emotionally risky. Everyone around Matthews — teammates, fans, opponents — wants to see how high this rocket can soar.
Fear of getting hurt in Game 81 or 82 shouldn’t trump the communal momentum boost of contributing to something so rare.
“We’re winding down here,” Matthews said. “Just want to make sure myself individually and us as a team we’re doing the right things here on both sides of the puck that’s going to translate in the postseason.”
Left unsaid: four goals in four games (or less) is totally doable.
And, if he does it, there is no way Matthews will celebrate like he’s been there before.
Nor should he.
Fox’s Fast Five
• Tyler Bertuzzi became a 20-goal scorer for the fourth time in his career.
The man was stuck on six goals on Feb. 16. With a two-goal Tuesday, he’s up to 21. And Matthews has taken note of his left winger’s boosted confidence.
“It feels good,” Bertuzzi told the broadcast, from underneath a moustache so untamed it brushes his bottom lip while he talks.
• Hischier on New Jersey playing out a meaningless string, as Jack Hughes heads for shoulder surgery and the team tumbles out of an embarrassing Metropolitan playoff race: “We’re in the NHL here. You got to find somehow motivation deep down inside of you, whatever it is, from each guy. You got to bring your best. It doesn’t matter where you’re at. Season finishes with 82 games and not 78.”
Also: Watching this version of the Devils is an argument the season should finish with 78 games. Or less.
• New Jersey is poised to become the first team since the tracking of ice time to have two 20-year-old defencemen averaging more than 20 minutes a night: Luke Hughes (21:25, which tops all Devils) and Simon Nemec (20:01).
The team has taken a step back defensively (27th at 3.45 goals against per game), but with a healthy Dougie Hamilton and full-time veteran goaltending in 2024-25, there is internal belief that 2023-24 is one step back to take two steps forward.
• My favourite mini-karmic moment that occurs every so often in a hockey game: when the guy who draws the penalty also scores the power-play goal.
Dawson Mercer pulled off that trick by drawing a slash on Matthew Knies, then sliding in the second-period power-play goal to put the Devils up 2-1.
• The Maple Leafs exercised depth load management, resting regulars Ilya Lyubushkin, Ryan Reaves, and Connor Dewar in favour of the frequently scratched Conor Timmins, Nick Robertson (who scored again) and Noah Gregor.
Ilya Samsonov was granted a full day off and didn’t so much as travel to Jersey, leaving Woll’s backup duties to third-stringer Martin Jones. Smart move.
