DALLAS – Rick Vaughn knows his record should have been broken twice already.
Austin Mathews was tracking 55 in 2019-20 when the epidemic halted the NHL season. If the Toronto Maple Leafs Superstar had been allowed 82 games in 2020-21, he would have threatened 65.
Really, there was no question about when Mathews got enough goals. It was about when he got enough play.
“We’ve talked about it a few times at the Leafs Gala and at the Leafs and Legends Golf Tournament,” Vaive told us.
“I was very disappointed for him last year. He had a good year in the first few seasons, but he had an injury. Suddenly, he’s there, and in the spring he’s got a chance [of 2020] – And it’s not a hit that takes it away from him.
“If it’s just an injury, that’s part of the game. But it is an epidemic. It bothered me because it took that opportunity away from him. I felt bad for him. I really did. It must have been very frustrating for him. “
If frustration continues to erupt, Matthews never lets it come out in public. He collected his Rocket Richard Trophy. He has regularly spoken of his desire for two points, not 55 goals.
“Honestly, it didn’t really weigh too much on me,” Mathews said inside the American Airlines Center, just hours before he was about to go out and push Viv to second place.
And yet, the eye test and the stat sheet will argue that he pressed a little.
With a record visible Tuesday in Florida, Mathews registered eight shots but finished with three assists instead. And it wasn’t until then Tenth Thursday’s shot, during a 4-3 overtime win in Dallas, that Papi became the father of all Maple Leafs goal scorers.
“It’s just crazy,” Jack Campbell said of Matthews’ motion. “I do not know what to do. It’s amazing. And we are happy to have him in our team. “
“Many times you are left in the press box [with a] ‘What have I just seen?’ Type vibe, ”Jack Muzin added. “He’s a special player, and we’re lucky to have him.”
History is written with poetry.
At number 55, Mathews scored 55 goals at one point in a power-play pass from Mark Giordano.
She gets the shot off her left knee, pumps a forceful fist to her right knee and celebrates a scream of exuberance.
Stars defender Miro Heskanen immediately threw Pak out of the net in disgust under the ice.
Mitch Marner rushes to retrieve the souvenir, and head coach Sheldon Kif heads to the bench to tap Matthews on the shoulder and say a few words to his best player.
He then ran through the star at Period 4 and popped at 56 for a good measure.
On the morning of the milestone, Matthews thought of the snipers he admired and grew up with. He will go through stages where he will wear his gear like them, tap his sticks like them, and confuse their YouTube highlights.
“I’ve seen a lot of Ovekkin, Malkin, Crosby, Ken, boys of that height. Datsyuk, ”Matthews said. “There’s no shortage of guys who are still playing who were very good players and scored goals that kids like me have learned to grow up watching.”
Now? Matthews is the model of any aspiring young sniper.
He is the one watching them. And for all the maple leaf of the future, they must be chased.
“It simply came to our notice then. It’s cool, ”Matthews considers. “Things sometimes come in full circle, so it’s fun to think about.”
Fox Fast 5
• Dallas ‘top goal scorer, Jason Robertson, says he and his younger brother Nick have both tried to borrow Matthews’ patented pool-and-release register, which allows him to whip up the effort even in the face of heavy traffic.
“It simply came to our notice then. His release, his shot, everything. He doesn’t need too much space. I want to get to that point. But he shoots with a lot of confidence, “said Robertson.
“It’s definitely something where you change angles and pull on the back of the guy’s stick. Many players can’t do that. He’s definitely one of the top players – if not the top players – he does it. “
ধারণ It’s amazing to see Ben Bishop smiling at the American Airlines Center during the morning skate. Injuries forced the amateur goaltender to retire on 14 December, but he is still working around the team.
ৃতি Today’s quote.
“He is a strict player. And he still hasn’t had a streak. ” Real Kuiper and Born
Jason Speza had healthy scratches against his former team and has been benched three of the last four.
“He has played here before. We are at a stage where we have to make a decision, “said Kiev, who is trying to increase internal competition among his fourth liners.
With just 11 games left in Toronto’s schedule, Speza sits at 991 points. He is an upcoming UFA. His quest for 1,000 points is in jeopardy.
-Top-liner Michael Bunting has not scored a single goal in 15 games, the longest drought in his NHL career.
“It starts to pile up and weighs a bit on you,” Keefe said. But he is not a passenger on the line. He’s picking up points, and they’re not just secondary assist. He’s at the forefront, he’s on the track, he’s making loose twists, he’s causing havoc around the net …. He draws a penalty and it helps his linemates succeed in power-play. ”