New Odds Make Auston Matthews Rocket Richard Trophy Favourite
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David Bastl
Move over Alex Ovechkin, there’s a new odds leader at Sports Interaction for the Rocket Richard Trophy and that player is Auston Matthews.
Matthews is off to a torrid start with the Maple Leafs with five goals in four games to start the season. He started the year as one of the favourites at Sports Interaction to win the award at +1000, but that number has vaulted to +400, which is, tops in the NHL. Ovechkin, an eight-time winner of the award is well in the running currently placed at +600 to do so. He opened at +550 at the season of the season.
NHL Goal Scoring Leader
Matthews started the season with a pair of goals in a win against the Senators, and his efforts landed him as the NHL’s third star of the week. The first overall pick in the 2016 draft is the fourth player in league history to collect at least one goal in each of his first four career season openers. Speaking of the Senators, as of Wednesday afternoon Matthews has more goals than the Sens, Flyers, Wild, Blackhawks, Canucks, Coyotes and just as many as the Sharks.
The Maple Leafs host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday night in another battle of top scoring teams in the NHL. Last season these two teams combined for 611 goals. Bolts Captain Steven Stamkos has two goals in three games this season and lists at +1400 to win the trophy. Stamkos is a two-time Rocket winner, last winning it in the 2011-12 season when he netted 60 goals.
Rounding out the top five is Matthews’ teammate John Tavares at +900, who hasn’t scored a goal this year, Connor McDavid (+1000) who has two goals and McDavid’s teammate Leon Draisaitl (+1100) who has one goal.
The biggest surprise on the entire list is James Neal of the Edmonton Oilers who checks in at +2000 to win the award. Neal potted four goals on Tuesday night in an Oilers win over the Islanders. Entering Wednesday night he leads all NHL goal scorers with six. Neal has 276 career goals in 769 games and is coming off his worst professional season last year in Calgary, where he scored seven goals in 63 games for the Flames.