{"id":217,"date":"2024-04-12T12:47:43","date_gmt":"2024-04-12T16:47:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/project.journalism.torontomu.ca\/jn8201w2024\/?p=217"},"modified":"2024-04-14T23:45:58","modified_gmt":"2024-04-15T03:45:58","slug":"auston-matthews-2-points-from-making-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/project.journalism.torontomu.ca\/jn8201w2024\/2024\/04\/12\/auston-matthews-2-points-from-making-history\/","title":{"rendered":"Auston Matthews is \u201cRewriting the Record Books\u201d on His Quest to 70"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Auston Matthews certainly has a reason to give a puck.<\/strong> The Toronto Maple Leafs center is currently two goals away from becoming the first NHL player to score 70 goals in over three decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Matthews scored his 68th goal of the season and second of the night with 1:14 left in regulation, against the New Jersey Devils on Thursday. With two goals left for the coveted 70 and three games to go, the record seems well within his reach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Matthews’ 2023-24 statistics so far.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe admitted that he is looking forward to Matthews scoring 70 goals in the season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell, it’d be terrific. I mean, 70 is a nice round number and everything to aspire to, but as I said, I think it’s, what he’s doing right now, it’s pretty incredible,” Keefe said<\/a>. “He’s rewriting the record books. You know, there’s a lot of Leaf fans that in their lifetime, you know, haven’t seen that, haven’t seen that many goals in the NHL, so it’s pretty remarkable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only eight players in NHL history have scored over 70 goals in a single season. Teemu Selanne was the last player to do it, with 76 goals in his 1992-93 run with the Winnipeg Jets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, Wayne Gretzky is the highest scorer with 92 points in the 1981-82 season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Source: NHL<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Keefe further mentioned that regardless of the outcome, he is excited to watch Matthews\u2019 performance in the upcoming matches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With his consistently impressive performances this season the betting odds are undoubtedly in his favour. Matthews is currently<\/a> +300 to score over 69.5 goals and-400 to finish under the line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, it sure looks like a third Rocket Richard trophy is right around the corner. At present, he has a 14-goal lead, with Sam Reinhart in second place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n