The Toronto Maple Leafs picked up a big win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday night. Toronto has already secured its spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, so this win mostly serves as momentum for the tournament. However, superstar Auston Matthews made headlines as he joined Alex Ovechkin in a rather exclusive club.
Matthews scored against the Penguins on Monday night. This gives the Maple Leafs star 65 goals on the 2023-24 NHL season. He joins Ovechkin with the most goals scored in a single season among active players, according to Sportsnet Stats. Ovechkin also scored 65 goals for the Washington Capitals during the 2007-08 NHL season.
This is the second time Matthews has scored 60+ goals in a single campaign. He did so in 2021-22 as well, scoring an even 60 goals as the Maple Leafs once again made the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Maple Leafs star earned the Hart Memorial Trophy that year as league MVP.
Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews chases 70
Auston Matthews is chasing a major goalscoring milestone in the NHL right now. The Maple Leafs star is aiming to become the first player since the early 1990s to score 70 goals in a single season. A few players have come close in recent memory but have fallen just short of that elusive milestone.
Just last season, fans watched as Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid gave chase. He ended the season with 64 goals and 153 points. Last season also saw Boston Bruins sniper David Pastrnak chip in 61 goals as Boston went on to set the single-season wins record. Before those performances was Ovechkin's 65-goal 2007-08 season.
In 2011-12, Tampa Bay Lightning superstar Steven Stamkos made a run at it, as well. However, the current Lightning captain only managed to reach the 60-goal mark. Unfortunately, his performance was for naught. Tampa Bay missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2012 despite making it to the Eastern Conference Finals the year before.
Who has scored 70?
Going back further in NHL history, you'll find 14 seasons in which a player has scored 70 or more goals. That said, only eight players have managed to achieve the feat. The most recent is Teemu Selanne, who scored 76 goals as a rookie for the first iteration of the Winnipeg Jets in 1992-93.
The first player to pull off the feat is Phil Esposito. He scored 76 goals and 153 points during the 1970-71 season, both career highs. The Bruins star helped his team into the playoffs, but they didn't go all the way. Boston lost in the quarterfinals to the Montreal Canadiens in 1971.
Others to have achieved the feat are Wayne Gretzky, Brett Hull, Mario Lemieux, Alexander Mogilny, Jari Kurri, and Bernie Nicholls. Three of these players have scored more than 70 in a season, as well. Seven of the eight players to score 70 in a season are Hall of Famers. And all eight of them won the Stanley Cup at some point during their playing days.
If Auston Matthews can join this list, he would join elite company in NHL history. And it bodes well for his future prospects with the Maple Leafs. However, for now, the Toronto star is focusing on the immediate future. He has five games remaining to reach the 70-goal mark. And then, the hunt for the Stanley Cup begins.
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