Not only did the Leafs dominate a very dangerous Tampa Bay Lightning team last night, but Auston Matthews ripped 3 past Andrei Vasilevskiy, who is not exactly a pedestrian goaltender, en route to an absolute beatdown over the defending champs.
Another 4 point night for Matthews, all at even strength, including a hat trick to tie the Leafs' single season goals record at 54. Not only did he tie Rick Vaive's record, but he has now scored 47 goals in his last 47 games, which is ridiculous in and of itself. The last to do it? A little known player named Mario Lemieux.
Matthews was available to speak with the media after the Leafs' fifth consecutive win. When he was asked what it was like to have tied a franchise record, Matthews stated "it's humbling to be mentioned in the same sentence as Rick Vaive." The most impressive part about Matthews' goal scoring this season? How far his defensive and two-way game has come while not sacrificing any offense whatsoever. Following the game, Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe was very complimentary of #34.
