Matthews sets salary-cap-era record with 66th goal
Toronto Maple Leafs sniper Auston Matthews scored his 66th goal of the season Tuesday, setting a new salary-cap-era record for most tallies in a single campaign.
Auston Matthews (@AM34) has just scored his 66th of the season.
- NHL (@NHL) April 10, 2024
Unbelievable. pic.twitter.com/vB9Eyxy6Qy
The tally served as an insurance marker in Toronto's 5-2 win against the New Jersey Devils.
Mario Lemieux was the last player to light the lamp at least 66 times back in 1995-96.
Matthews became the first player to post a 65-goal season since Alex Ovechkin, hitting the mark during the Maple Leafs' 3-2 overtime victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday.
The 26-year-old now has the most goals in a single campaign by any active player.
"It's cool," he said of surpassing Ovechkin's career high, per TSN's Mark Masters. "Like, he's obviously who he is, and what he's done for the game and what he's accomplished, so it's a big honour just to be in the same sentence as him."
Matthews is riding a six-game goal streak as he pursues his third career Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy.
He has four more games to get to 70 goals.
"The process is the same every night," Matthews said. "I find when you really ... overthink it and kind of want it too much, it almost doesn't go your way. I just try to approach every game the same."
The Maple Leafs will square off against the Devils again on Thursday.
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