Auston Matthews nonetheless will get enthusiastic about going through Alex Ovechkin, one in every of his favourite gamers rising up. And even with Ovechkin authoring a classic efficiency, Matthews discovered a technique to steal the highlight.
Matthews scored his NHL-leading 56th and 57th objectives of the season and matched his profession excessive with 5 factors, main the Toronto Maple Leafs to a 7-3 rout of the Washington Capitals on Wednesday night time regardless of Ovechkin transferring nearer to Wayne Gretzky. In the meantime, Matthews’ pursuit of the primary 70-goal in additional than three many years is again on observe.
Assuming Matthews performs within the Leaf’s 14 remaining video games, he’s on tempo for 68 objectives this season, which might be essentially the most objectives by any participant in a season since Mario Lemieux had 69 objectives in 1995-96, based on ESPN Stats & Data analysis.
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“When the world’s finest are going at it like that, it is all the time enjoyable to look at,” Leafs ahead Bobby McMann mentioned. “Good that we got here out on the proper aspect of it, however yeah it is cool to see.”
Ovechkin scored objectives 844 and 845 of his profession to maneuver 50 again of breaking Gretzky’s file that lengthy appeared unapproachable. He is now at 23 this season after scoring 15 objectives since Jan. 22 to make up for simply eight in his first 43 video games.
Wednesday’s efficiency marked his 171st profession multi-goal sport; solely Gretzky has extra with 189.
“We’re all sort of operating out of phrases to explain it,” Matthews mentioned. “He is the best goal-scorer of all-time, so it is all the time enjoyable to play in opposition to him nonetheless and nonetheless watch him get it finished and the joy and keenness he will get when he scores objectives. Clearly, we would prefer to see him not rating in opposition to us, however while you’re that good, you are certain to get alternatives and he makes good on them more often than not.”
Matthews scoring twice — with a 3rd, would-be hat-trick purpose getting known as again on a coach’s problem for offside — put him eight away from tying Ovechkin’s career-best season of 65 from 2007-08, which is the best for the reason that league’s salary-cap period started in 2005. Matthews’ overturned purpose was the league’s ninetieth this season on an offside coach’s problem, essentially the most in a season since challenges first got here into play in 2015-16, based on ESPN Stats & Data.
“Clearly, we had zero reply for No. 34 tonight,” Capitals coach Spencer Carbery mentioned, referring to Matthews’ jersey quantity.
And whereas Ovechkin and Matthews mixed for 4 objectives in a showcase of one of the best scorer of this technology and maybe his successor, they have been removed from the one ones lightning the lamp. Connor McMichael additionally scored for Washington, and William Nylander, Jake McCabe, McMann, Tyler Bertuzzi and John Tavares had Toronto’s different objectives in a pleasant bounce-back from a 4-3 loss Tuesday night time at Philadelphia.
“We discovered a technique to reply it as a gaggle, and I assumed everybody did an important job of that from the primary shift,” mentioned Max Domi, who had 4 assists. “Had everybody going, and we’re a troublesome group to beat after we play like that.”
As a part of a high-event, quick-scoring hockey sport that was not pleasant to the goaltenders, Joseph Woll made 18 saves in internet for the Leafs and Charlie Lindgren made 22 for the Capitals, who failed to maneuver again right into a playoff place with their profitable streak ending at three. They sit one level again of Detroit for the second and last wild-card spot within the Japanese Convention.
“No one mentioned it may be simple,” Ovechkin mentioned.
The Caps misplaced whereas taking part in with out injured winger T.J. Oshie and ahead Aliaksei Protas. Toronto enforcer Ryan Reaves was additionally out after being poked in the proper eye throughout a combat Tuesday night time in Philadelphia, whereas veteran defenseman T.J. Brodie was a wholesome scratch.
The Related Press contributed to this report.
