NHL Odds: Toronto’s remaining schedule could help Auston Matthews hit 70 goals
With 63 goals in 74 games, Auston Matthews needs seven goals over Toronto’s final seven regular season games to hit the 70-goal mark.
So, will Matthews reach the 70-goal milestone this season?
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Auston Matthews
Matthews has been the best goal scorer in the world since he entered the NHL in the 2016-17 season, scoring 38 goals more than the next closest players over that time, Washington’s Alex Ovechkin and Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl.
NHL goal leaders since 2016-17
| Players | Team | Games Played | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Auston Matthews | Toronto Maple Leafs | 555 | 362 |
| Alex Ovechkin | Washington Capitals | 580 | 324 |
| Leon Draisaitl | Edmonton Oilers | 603 | 324 |
| David Pastrnak | Boston Bruins | 572 | 323 |
| Connor McDavid | Edmonton Oilers | 596 | 316 |
| Nathan MacKinnon | Colorado Avalanche | 567 | 273 |
| Brayden Point | Tampa Bay Lightning | 574 | 261 |
| Mikko Rantanen | Colorado Avalanche | 557 | 260 |
| Sidney Crosby | Pittsburgh Penguins | 559 | 251 |
| Sebastian Aho | Carolina Hurricanes | 593 | 251 |
With how good Matthews has been this season, it can be easy to forget he started the year with 14 goals in his first 21 games, a slow start by his standards. But, Matthews really stepped it up a notch after those first 20 or so games. In December, he notched 15 goals in 12 games, in January he had 11 goals in 13 games and in February he scored 13 goals in 12 games. That’s 39 goals in 37 games between December and March.
While Matthews cooled off a bit with seven goals in 14 games in March, he’s still a player that tends to score in bunches. He has scored back-to-back hat tricks two different times this season and his 17 multi-goal games is the most in a single season by any player over the last 30 years. Seven goals in seven games is a reasonable number for Matthews.
Toronto Maple Leafs’ remaining schedule
Saturday, April 6: @ Montreal Canadiens
Monday, April 8: Vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
Tuesday, April 9: @ New Jersey Devils
Thursday, April 11: Vs. New Jersey Devils
Saturday, April 13: Vs. Detroit Red Wings
Tuesday, April 16: @ Florida Panthers
Wednesday, April 17: @ Tampa Bay Lightning
Toronto’s remaining schedule stacks up favourably for Matthews to do some damage, with five of the Leafs’ last seven games coming against teams that are either already eliminated from playoff contention or currently sitting outside of a playoff position.
| Opponent | Matthews in 2023-24 | Matthews' Career |
|---|---|---|
| Montreal Canadiens | Three goals in two games | 26 goals in 33 games |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | No goals in one game | Five goals in 17 games |
| New Jersey Devils | One goal in one game | 15 goals in 16 games |
| Detroit Red Wings | No goals in two games | 16 goals in 23 games |
| Florida Panthers | Two goals in three games | 15 goals in 25 games |
| Tampa Bay Lightning | Three goals in three games | 12 goals in 21 games |
Matthews has already hit his career-high in goals and his 0.85 goals per game average projects him to finish one goal shy of 70 for the season. But, this is a player who knows he’s chasing history and he loves to perform on a big stage. Who isn’t cheering for Matthews to score 70 goals?
