Despite a subpar 2022-23 campaign that yielded "only" 40 goals for Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews, he has rebounded in such a way that he's become the first NHL player since the days of the Original 6 to achieve a specific goal scoring milestone.
He played the role of hero last night for the Leafs, finally ending a marathon game against the Anaheim Ducks and spoiling a superhuman performance by Ducks goaltender Lukáš Dostál by scoring the overtime winner:
And thanks to his winning tally in the extra session, Matthews becomes the first player since Frank Mahovlich in 1960-61 to reach an incredible 30 goals in 35 games:
And as if that weren't enough, his overtime-winning goal was the 11th of his career, putting him just five behind the franchise record of 16 set by beloved former captain Mats Sundin:
According to head coach Sheldon Keefe, Matthews has simply reached "another level" in the last month of play.
"He has found another level in the last month or so," he said. "Tonight, I don’t know how many he could’ve had. I think he finished with 13 shots and 20 attempts. He was bound to get one. Obviously, it was a big one for us.
He has been great for us. We have been playing a much better team game of late. We really like to see that. That is important, but within the team game, we need difference-makers to step up and do their thing. Certainly, Auston has done that."
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