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Toronto Maple Leafs: Auston Matthews Is Heating Up

By Jeremy Ridgewell |
TORONTO, CANADA - JANUARY 19: Auston Matthews #34 of the Toronto Maple Leafs celebrates his 2nd goal of the game against the Winnipeg Jets during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on January 19, 2023 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
TORONTO, CANADA - JANUARY 19: Auston Matthews #34 of the Toronto Maple Leafs celebrates his 2nd goal of the game against the Winnipeg Jets during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on January 19, 2023 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)

Toronto Maple Leafs superstar Auston Matthews is known for scoring goals. He is the reigning Maurice (Rocket) Richard Trophy winner after scoring 61 goals last season.

Matthews won the trophy in back-to-back seasons, and many thought the Toronto Maple Leafs franchise player would try to make it three in a row this season.

However, he got off to a slow start this season.

He scored 11 goals in his first 25 games this season compared to 17 goals in the first 25 games last season. His overall point production is down this season.

So far, Matthews has 51 points in 44 games. That is a drop of eight points compared to last season. (Stats from hockey-reference.com)

Toronto Maple Leafs Hope Matthews Continues Hot Streak

The good news for Matthews, the Toronto Maple Leafs, and their fans is Matthews seems to be heating up in the second half of the season.

He has recorded five goals in his past five games. His 24 goals in 44 games have him on pace to score 44 goals in 80 games if he stays healthy.

It will be the fifth time Matthews has scored 40 or more goals in a season. Scoring at his current rate over the past five games will result in him reaching 50 goals for the second time in his career.

With Connor McDavid already having 39 goals in 47 games, it is unlikely that Matthews will make up enough ground to try and win his third Maurice (Rocket) Richard Trophy.

As the saying goes, you can’t win them all. One thing that gets lost or overlooked when talking about his slight decline in goals is that his overall game has improved.

Matthews plays very well defensively when he doesn’t have the puck. He has proven that he is not a one-dimensional player. He leads all Toronto forwards in blocked shots with 53 and has 42 takeaways.

Hopefully, Matthews will continue his recent hot streak throughout the entire second half of the season. Having that kind of momentum going into the NHL playoffs would be good.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are desperately hoping to avoid another early playoff exit. Matthews will be looked upon to score often in the playoffs. He recorded four goals and five assists for nine points in last season’s playoffs, but he’ll need to try and provide more to help this team advance.

Next. The Leafs Ten Best Trade Options. dark

He’s not the only player that will need to step up their game come playoff time. The Toronto Maple Leafs need all their top guys to produce and to get some secondary scoring for the bottom six and defense. Help might be on the way in the form of the NHL trade deadline, but we won’t know until something happens.

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