Auston Matthews breaks Leafs rookie points record amidst goal explosion

First, he nabs the goals record, now he’s on top of the points chart. Auston Matthews has done it again, notching his 39th tally and 67th point of the season, topping Peter Ihnacak’s 66 from the 1982/83 season.

The goal itself was a pretty one, instigated by a spectacular rush by William Nylander, who found an open Matthews to make it happen. In getting the primary assist, Nylander also puts himself in Toronto’s history books, becoming the fourth rookie in Leafs history to hit the 60-point plateau.

The collaborative effort was part of one of the most dominant bursts of offence that we’ve ever seen from the blue and white. Matthews was just the middle tally, sandwiched between Leo Komarov’s tap-in and James van Riemsdyk’s snipe off the faceoff, in a 43-second span, second fastest in team history. Toronto also outshot the Sabres an astonishing 18-2 in the first period. Needless to say, this game has started off better than expected.