Matthews off to electric start
WASHINGTON» Auston Matthews is drawing comparisons to Mario Lemieux and getting noticed by Bryce Harper amid a hot start to his second NHL season.
Last season’s Calder Trophy winner as rookie of the year, Matthews went into training camp seeking to be more assertive on the ice. That has translated to five goals and three assists in his first five games and the kind of improved all-around play that makes the face of the Toronto Maple Leafs a superstar already at age 20.
“He’s got a skill-set that ranges from just about everything,” Maple Leafs center Nazem Kadri said Tuesday. “The ceiling’s the limit for Matts, and he knows he can be a great player and he already is. It’s crazy to think he’s (still) at such a young age.”
Even though Matthews remains in the shadow of Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby on hockey’s pantheon of top players, he already has filled up the highlight reel thanks to some tweaks and adjustments. The Scottsdale, Ariz., native was the first rookie to score 40 goals since Alex Ovechkin in 2005-06 and is conscious of the pressure to keep up that pace.
“You’re always reinventing yourself,” Matthews said. “The league’s always adjusting and you’ve got to adjust right back to it.”
The league hasn’t adjusted yet. Matthews showed that by scoring goals so many different ways this season.
Meanwhile, Harper wore a new blue No. 34 Matthews jersey out of the Washington Nationals’ clubhouse after their season-ending Game 5 loss to the Chicago Cubs last week. Matthews called the honor “awesome.”