<p>Auston Matthews&#8217; 2021-22 season was one for the ages. When he scored 40 goals in his rookie season, it quickly became apparent that the sky was the limit for him, and while his season-by-season progression up until that point was on the slower side, he also had the drawback of two half-seasons in between. With the NHL getting back into action for a full, 82-game season for the first time since 2018-19, Matthews shattered his previous career high of 47 goals with his first 60-goal season, scoring his 59th and 60th in the second-last (and his last) game of the season.</p>
<div class="bam-inline-promotion" data-property-id="324" data-promotion-id="18983" data-context="web-content-promocard"></div>
<p>Fast forward past a wrist issue-plagued 2022-23 season that saw him dip back down to 40 goals, and Matthews once again found himself pushing the 60-goal mark in 2023-24. This time, in game 73 instead of game 81.</p>
<p>The Leafs were visiting the Buffalo Sabres, which made the best of the fact that he didn&#8217;t score his 60th at home, seeing as how KeyBank Center is essentially their second home arena. They were up 2-0 on the Sabres in the third period following tallies from John Tavares in the first and Matthew Knies in the second, and what I remember most about this game was just how hard Matthews was pushing for his 60th. You might see this as a selfish move, but he wasn&#8217;t puck-hogging or anything like that. He just kept finding himself in spots where he tends to make his money. And, with the Leafs already having clinched a playoff spot and in control of the game in question, you could see that his teammates were on board with it too. And with just under six minutes remaining in the game, he hit the 60-goal mark for the second time in his career, making him the ninth player in NHL history to score 60 goals in a season more than once, and the only active NHL player to do so.</p>
<div class="jetpack-video-wrapper"><iframe loading="lazy" title="It&#039;s SIXTY GOALS for Auston Matthews! 😱🍁💰" width="1424" height="801" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6BAwRbpQsNM?start=20&#038;feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<p>What sticks out about this goal is the hustle he displayed on it. He took advantage of Sabres&#8217; defenceman Bowen Byram&#8217;s stick breaking off the rush and gave himself a prime breakaway opportunity only to find himself robbed of the goal by netminder Ukko-Pekka Lukkonen. He then retrieved the puck in the corner and tried to bank it off of Lukkonen and in, wiring it off the post. From there, he sauced it back to the point where Conor Timmins restarted the cycle, throwing the puck on net and leaving Matthews with a golden rebound. And he wasn&#8217;t going to miss that one.</p>
<p>Matthews has an ability tested by nobody on the Leafs aside from perhaps William Nylander to take the puck on a shift and put the line on his back to create a chance in Connor McDavid fashion. It was on clear display here, and after he had that chance taken away on the breakaway, you could just tell that he wasn&#8217;t going to settle until he finally put it home.</p>
<p>Matthews went on to score 69 goals last season, further showcasing the best trait in his all-around game. Regardless of the lack of meaningful playoff games the Leafs have played in this era, it serves as a reminder of just how talented he is and why he&#8217;s arguably the greatest Leaf of all time. Older fans will point to the likes of Doug Gilmour, Wendel Clark, Dave Keon, to name a few, and there&#8217;s merit to those claims seeing that they all experienced more postseason success than Matthews has to date, but in the end, the Leafs have never had a player who can score goals at that pace and excel on the defensive side of the game as well.</p>
<p>So, is the next step 70 goals in 2024-25? We say he does it.</p>
<p><strong>Sponsored by bet365</strong></p>


Auston Matthews' 2021-22 season was one for the ages. When he scored 40 goals in his rookie season, it quickly became apparent that the sky was the limit for him, and while his season-by-season progression up until that point was on the slower side, he also had the drawback of two half-seasons in between. With the NHL getting back into action for a full, 82-game season for the first time since 2018-19, Matthews shattered his previous career high of 47 goals with his first 60-goal season, scoring his 59th and 60th in the second-last (and his last) game of the season.
<div class="bam-inline-promotion" data-property-id="324" data-promotion-id="18983" data-context="web-content-promocard"></div>
Fast forward past a wrist issue-plagued 2022-23 season that saw him dip back down to 40 goals, and Matthews once again found himself pushing the 60-goal mark in 2023-24. This time, in game 73 instead of game 81.

The Leafs were visiting the Buffalo Sabres, which made the best of the fact that he didn't score his 60th at home, seeing as how KeyBank Center is essentially their second home arena. They were up 2-0 on the Sabres in the third period following tallies from John Tavares in the first and Matthew Knies in the second, and what I remember most about this game was just how hard Matthews was pushing for his 60th. You might see this as a selfish move, but he wasn't puck-hogging or anything like that. He just kept finding himself in spots where he tends to make his money. And, with the Leafs already having clinched a playoff spot and in control of the game in question, you could see that his teammates were on board with it too. And with just under six minutes remaining in the game, he hit the 60-goal mark for the second time in his career, making him the ninth player in NHL history to score 60 goals in a season more than once, and the only active NHL player to do so.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BAwRbpQsNM&amp;t=20s

What sticks out about this goal is the hustle he displayed on it. He took advantage of Sabres' defenceman Bowen Byram's stick breaking off the rush and gave himself a prime breakaway opportunity only to find himself robbed of the goal by netminder Ukko-Pekka Lukkonen. He then retrieved the puck in the corner and tried to bank it off of Lukkonen and in, wiring it off the post. From there, he sauced it back to the point where Conor Timmins restarted the cycle, throwing the puck on net and leaving Matthews with a golden rebound. And he wasn't going to miss that one.

Matthews has an ability tested by nobody on the Leafs aside from perhaps William Nylander to take the puck on a shift and put the line on his back to create a chance in Connor McDavid fashion. It was on clear display here, and after he had that chance taken away on the breakaway, you could just tell that he wasn't going to settle until he finally put it home.

Matthews went on to score 69 goals last season, further showcasing the best trait in his all-around game. Regardless of the lack of meaningful playoff games the Leafs have played in this era, it serves as a reminder of just how talented he is and why he's arguably the greatest Leaf of all time. Older fans will point to the likes of Doug Gilmour, Wendel Clark, Dave Keon, to name a few, and there's merit to those claims seeing that they all experienced more postseason success than Matthews has to date, but in the end, the Leafs have never had a player who can score goals at that pace and excel on the defensive side of the game as well.

So, is the next step 70 goals in 2024-25? We say he does it.

<strong>Sponsored by bet365</strong>

Leafs Nation votes on the best games of 2023-24: #2 – Matthews hits 60, again

The Leafs Nation welcomes Jeff Marek to The Nation Network

Jeff Marek has joined The Nation Network family: Leafs Morning Take

Auston Matthews remains day-to-day with upper-body injury, misses practice, to be determined for weekend

Nashville Predators forwards Colton Sissons and Michael McCarron.

Recent articles from Alex Hobson

Breaking News