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7 wildest stats about Auston Matthews' record-breaking Leafs season

Adam Laskaris
Adam Laskaris
|
Apr 5 2022, 3:54 pm
7 wildest stats about Auston Matthews' record-breaking Leafs season
John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

It seems like Auston Matthews is breaking records for the Leafs in every game with otherworldly offensive stats.

Last Thursday, Matthews became the fourth Leaf in history to hit 50 goals in a season, while on Monday, he tied Rick Vaive’s record by most goals in a single season with a Leaf with 54.

Matthews is sitting on 253 career goals through his first 398 games; a ridiculous offensive pace challenged only by players who ultimately found their way into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

It’s hard to say anything about him that hasn’t already been said before, but here are seven stats that best help to display Matthews’ dominance this year:

1. 47 goals in 47 games

Sometimes, the most simple stats show it best. Matthews has scored 47 goals in his last 47 games. What else do you even say at this point?

2. Four hat tricks

For years, one of the running jokes about Matthews was that he hadn’t scored a hat trick since his iconic four-goal NHL debut. Starting his career off with a bang in October 2016, he didn’t score his second hat trick until January 2020.

It’s safe to say that’s a thing of the past. Matthews has hit three goals in four games this season, including three on Monday night’s game against Tampa Bay.

3. 71 goals in 82 games

Stretching back to last year, Matthews has put up 71 goals in his previous 82 games, which would equal an entire season.

Matthews put up 17 goals in his final 18 regular season games in 2021-22, topping out at 41 goals in 52 games to win his first Rocket Richard Trophy as the league’s top goal scorer.

4. Most goals in 10 years

The season is still more than three weeks from being over, but Matthews has already scored more goals in a single season than anyone else from 2013 to 2021 while looking to become the first player to hit 60 since Steven Stamkos in the 2011-12 season.

The above graphic shows the NHL’s top goal scorers since 1997 in a single year, coincidentally the same year that Matthews was born. With 13 games left in the Leafs’ season, there’s every chance he could end up moving his way upwards of 60 or even 65 goals come season end.

5. Mario Lemieux comparisons

When trying to compare Matthews to other players in NHL history, it’s often hard to find a player who matches his size, skill, and goal-scoring ability. However, legendary Penguins centre Mario Lemieux is a name frequently mentioned.

Two separate stats: Matthews hitting 46 goals in 47 games (actually 47 by games’ end) and Matthews just out-pacing Lemieux’s even-strength career totals through the same number of games shows that maybe the comparison is quite fitting after all.

6. Three lengthy goal-streaks

Matthews has scored at least once in each of his last six games. Before that, he didn’t score for one game… and then scored in each of the six games before that. In total, he’s had three different stretches this year where he’s scored at least once in six games in a row, and is now up to five career six-game scoring streaks per Hockey-Reference.

7. Blowing away the competition

Matthews actually only holds a four-goal cushion on the league lead over Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl, who hit the 50-mark himself over the weekend. But since the (admittedly quite arbitrary) date of November 24?

Well, it’s been Matthews, a massive gap, and then everybody else, having scored 13 more goals than any other player over the last four-and-a-half months or so.

Adam LaskarisAdam Laskaris
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