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Maple Leafs Matthews Comes Up Short of 70-Goal Season

Originally posted on Old Prof Hockey | Last updated 4/18/24

Last night, the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-4. The bottom line for fans of the Blue and White is that, in this meaningless game, Auston Matthews failed to reach the 70-goal milestone. The end of the regular season was also the end of a quest that captured the emotions and interest of NHL fans everywhere.

Ultimately, that made his playing in the meaningless last game of the season even more frustrating for Maple Leafs fans. Fortunately, Matthews wasn’t injured. Other than that, it was a waste of his energy.

Young Lightning Goalie Matt Tomkins Stood Tall for His Team

Ironically, at the same time that Matthews failed in his bid to become the ninth player in NHL history to score 70 goals in a season, Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov became the fifth player to have a 100-assist season. As Matthews and head coach Sheldon Keefe noted after the game, “it wasn’t to be.”

If Maple Leafs fans need someone to blame for Matthews’ lack of success, they only need to point to 29-year-old rookie goalie Matt Tomkins. Tomkins denied all seven of Matthews’ first-period shots. He then witnessed another shot off the post midway through the second period. In his sixth NHL start, Tomkins finished with 34 saves, including 12 on Matthews.

Matthews Admits to Wanting Goal 70 Badly

As Matthews noted, “I wanted it, for sure, but it just wasn’t meant to be.” He added, “The most important thing is the team and the team’s success, making sure I’m pulling my weight as a leader on this team and helping the team win. That’s where my focus is at.”

Toronto coach Sheldon Keefe defended his star. He noted that there was more to Matthews’ game than putting the puck in the net. Keefe added, “He’s played so tremendously well. I know there’s been a lot of focus on him reaching 70 goals; you kind of lose sight of how well he’s played.”

Keefe also noted the bad luck involved in Matthews’ lack of success. He noted, “The way he’s played these last two games—give him those types of chances and shots, and he could have had 75. It wasn’t meant to be, and that’s OK—69 is an unbelievable season.”

This article first appeared on Old Prof Hockey and was syndicated with permission.

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