Toronto Maple Leafs: Auston Matthews 50 in 55 is Not Just a Pipedream

TORONTO, ON - FEBRUARY 6: Auston Matthews #34 of the Toronto Maple Leafs heads back to the bench after scoring against the Vancouver Canucks during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on February 6, 2021 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Maple Leafs defeated the Canucks 5-1. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - FEBRUARY 6: Auston Matthews #34 of the Toronto Maple Leafs heads back to the bench after scoring against the Vancouver Canucks during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on February 6, 2021 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Maple Leafs defeated the Canucks 5-1. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)

Toronto Maple Leafs Centre Auston Matthews is the best goal scorer in the NHL right now and it’s not even close.

Auston Matthews helped lift the Leafs over the Canadiens 5-3 with a four-point performance.

The win now pushes the Toronto Maple Leafs further to the top of the standings with a record of 14-3-2 and 30 points, 5 points above the second-place team in the league.

Frederik Andersen backstopped the Leafs to a 30 save performance on 33 shots while the Leafs powerplay continued to click, tonight at a 75% rate. Other notable performances were Marner with 3 points and Rielly with 2.

Goals on the Leafs end of things came from Matthews(2), Marner, Boyd, and Kerfoot.

50 in 55 is No Longer Just a Pipedream

Tonight Auston Matthews scored his 17th and 18th goal of the season which pushed him to the goal per game rating of a nice round 1.00.

It’s easy to say that Auston Matthews is set on rookie mode this season and let’s hope that that setting doesn’t change.

At the rate that the Marner-Matthews-Thornton line is going at right now, the chance that Matthews can get to 50 is possible. The way they all find each other on the ice through open lanes and play off of each other’s style certainly works. It’s definitely a challenge and a long shot at that to reach 50, but it is possible.

I think the most impressive and overall funny stat is that as of right now Auston Matthews with 18 goals has more goals than 15 teams in the NHL do points.

The last person to score at the same rate (or better) of 50 in 55 (0.90) was Teemu Selanne in the 1992-93 season where he scored 70 goals in 84 games.

In an era where goalies are bigger better and there are even fewer spots to find in the net, that feat of 0.90 goals per game would be absolutely monumental to achieve.

Although it is likely that the 23-year-old center from Scottsdale AZ will slow down at some point and go at least one or two games without a goal, I don’t think that point is going to come any time soon.