You know that Auston Matthews can score. The Leafs center is on pace for 44 goals, which, if you throw out the guys who started in the WHA, would tie him for seventh all-time among NHL rookies. He didn’t score last night in a wild 6-5 loss to Washington, but one of his two assists was every bit as highlight-reelworthy.
Don’t sleep on the stickwork Matthews does to even get into position. But obviously the main event is the spin to get Philipp Grubauer to open up and the immaculate feed to Leo Komarov in front.
(I like how Komarov tried to comfort Brooks Orpik, who was having none of it.)
Even if Matthews didn’t find the net himself, he did clean up James van Riemsdyk’s rebound after the final horn. When JVR gave up after trying and failing twice to loft a puck over the glass to a pair of Leafs fans, Matthews came by to save the day: