The Hart Trophy will be determined after the Toronto Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers face-off for three consecutive games this week. .
Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews are both playing at an extremely high level this season and are No. 1 and No. 2 in the Hart Trophy race. With three games in a row scheduled on Saturday, Monday and Wednesday, this is must-watch hockey for any sports fan.
After training together during the offseason, the two have created a friendly rivalry. Whenever Matthews does something great, it feels like McDavid does the same thing a few hours later.
For example, during Hockey Night in Canada last week, Toronto faced Montreal at 7PM EST, followed by the Edmonton Oilers versus Vancouver Canucks at 10PM EST.
After Matthews had four points (two goals, two assists) against the Habs, McDavid went out and had five points (three goals, two assists). I don’t think that’s a coincidence. I’d like to believe that McDavid saw what his buddy did in the early game and tried to one-up him, later that evening.
Hart Trophy Will Be Determined In Next Three Games
The Toronto Maple Leafs have the best points percentage (.762 %) in the NHL. Although Edmonton is second in the North Division behind Toronto, they’re ninth in the NHL (.636 %) in that category.
- Auston Matthews:
- 20 GP, 18 goals, 30 points, 21:54 TOI, 20 Takeaways (via: hockeyreference.com)
- Connor McDavid:
- 22 GP, 14 goals, 40 points, 22:33 TOI, 10 Takeaways
Although McDavid has 10 more points than Matthews, I still think Papi holds the MVP advantage, based on goals, 5v5 scoring and team success. Essentially being a goal per game player, while having the best record in the NHL screams Hart Trophy to me. However, this could all change in the three games against Edmonton.
If the Oilers are able to go 3-0 against the Leafs and McDavid scores at a crazy pace like he has the ability to, the Hart Trophy race is over. If McDavid has a monster three games and Matthews is quiet, the Newmarket, ON native could be 15 points up by next Wednesday and ahead of the Leafs in the standings. That would be an incredibly tough hill to climb.
However, Matthews has a chance to legitimize himself as the best player in the league if he lights up the Oilers and continues to score at his crazy pace. Toronto currently has a four-point cushion on Edmonton, but if they’re able to go 3-0 against them, they would all of a sudden have a 10-point lead.
If Matthews gets back to his one goal per game pace and outshines McDavid on the road, he could put his stamp on the MVP trophy.
These next three games should provide some of the best hockey we’ve seen all season and I can’t wait to see what happens.