Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews passed team legend Darryl Sittler for second on the club’s all-scoring list during Saturday night’s Leafs win over the Carolina Hurricanes at Scotiabank Arena.
Matthews scored an empty-netter with the game 4-3 late in the third period. The tally was Matthews’ 389th career goal, putting him second on the all-time list, trailing only Mats Sundin who leads the list with 420.
Here’s a look at the milestone goal:
The empty-netter by Matthews averted a third-period meltdown as the Leafs nearly squandered a 4-0 lead. The Hurricanes scored three unanswered goals in the third to make the game close. In the end, got the Leafs got their act together, and pulled away with a 6-3 win.
The Leafs played a solid game for about 50 minutes before allowing the Hurricanes to make a game of it. However, it must be said that two of three Carolina goals were fluke goals.
The 4-2 marker was a bad luck deflection off Jake McCabe’s leg. The shot from Andrei Svechnikov would have been a routine save for Leafs netminder Anthony Stolarz. However, the redirection put the puck past Stolarz to make the game 4-2. Take a look:
Carolina goal!
— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) February 23, 2025
Scored by Andrei Svechnikov with 05:14 remaining in the 3rd period.
Assisted by Mikko Rantanen and Shayne Gostisbehere.
Toronto: 4
Carolina: 2#CARvsTOR #LeafsForever #RaiseUp pic.twitter.com/5xVjN1UxLG
Moments later, the Canes got another fluke goal. This time, a blocked shot sent the puck up in the air. The puck settled on the ice where a wide-open Jaccob Slavin buried the puck in the open cage. Check it out:
Carolina goal!
— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) February 23, 2025
Scored by Jaccob Slavin with 04:54 remaining in the 3rd period.
Assisted by Jordan Staal and Brent Burns.
Toronto: 4
Carolina: 3#CARvsTOR #LeafsForever #RaiseUp pic.twitter.com/PWDNStthus
Stolarz momentarily lost the puck while in the air. By the time he tracked it, it was too late to react. The goal made the game close, but it wasn’t enough to send the contest into overtime.
In the end, the Leafs pulled out the win, averting a major catastrophe.
Holmberg scores twice, Kampf and Steeves add tallies for Toronto Maple Leafs
One of the most crucial points in Saturday night’s win was the depth scoring the Toronto Maple Leafs got from the bottom six. Pontus Holmberg added two goals, breaking a 17-game goalless drought. For Holmberg, it’s been a tough season. So, seeing him get two tallies was a nice occurrence.
David Kampf, not known for his magical scoring touch, also got in on the action. His fourth of the season made the game 3-0 early in the first period. Like Holmberg, it’s a nice thing to see Kampf get off the skids and back on the scoresheet.
As for Steeves, the recent call-up proved he belongs in the NHL, netting a goal and an assist against the Canes. Steeves opened the scoring in the opening frame with his first goal of the season. Steeves then drew a secondary assist on the Kampf’s goal.
Saturday night’s performance is further proof that Steeves should no longer remain in the AHL. If anything, Steeves makes other players like Nick Robertson and Max Pacioretty expendable. The Leafs would be wise to keep Steeves in the lineup as depth scoring is something crucial for Toronto heading into the playoffs.
The Leafs will face the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday night as they open a seven-game road trip. Joseph Woll will get the start tonight.