Devils dumped as Matthews nets 66th
Goal-scoring machine becomes first NHL player to hit mark since Lemieux in 1995-96 season
Auston Matthews now has the greatest goal-scoring season of any active NHL player.
Matthews got his league-leading 66th goal in the third period Tuesday night as the Maple Leafs beat the New Jersey Devils 5-2 at the Prudential Centre.
The Leafs, third in the Atlantic Division, remained three points behind the Florida Panthers, with a game in hand and one head-tohead meeting remaining. The loss eliminated the Devils from playoff contention.
Matthews’ one-timer from the slot beat Jake Allen as the centre from Scottsdale, Ariz., moved one goal past Alex Ovechkin, whose 65 goals in 2007-08 had been the benchmark among current players.
“It was awesome,” Bertuzzi said of seeing No. 66 go in. “He’s rewarded for all the hard work and effort he puts in. He’s been great. Hopefully we can get him to 70.”
The last player to score at least 66 in a season oddly enough wore No. 66, Mario Lemieux, who got to 69 in the 1995-96 season.
With four games remaining, Matthews is trying to become the first player to score 70 since Teemu Selanne and Alexander Mogilny in 1992-93.
Matthews and his newish linemates dominated the evening against the Devils. Matthews had a goal and an assist. Tyler Bertuzzi had two goals and an assist, hitting the 20-goal mark for the fourth time in his career, then scoring the empty-netter to put the game away. Max Domi had two assists.
Nick Robertson, reinserted into the third line, opened the scoring, while Mark Giordano added his third goal of the year.
William Nylander, who had a goal called back, was held off the scoresheet and remains four points away from his first 100-point season.
“A good game for our guys,” Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said. “Stayed with it, built a lead and then with exception of a couple of plays here and there, I thought it was pretty tidy affair for us defensively.”
About the Devils
The Devils had slim playoff hopes before the game, and they were dealt a blow when the team announced star centre Jack Hughes would undergo season-ending shoulder surgery Wednesday.
Injuries got in the way of the Devils’ hopes all year, but they are still a young, talented team. The last time the teams met, New Jersey won 6-3 in Toronto. The Leafs carried the play, but the Devils were opportunistic.
“It’s a reminder if we don’t take care of the puck, and you make it easy for the opposition to get to your net, it makes it hard to win,” Keefe said. “They have the skill and ability to counterpunch.”
Woll starts
Some of the focus to start the game was on Woll, now 4-5-2 in the 11 games he has played since returning from a high-ankle sprain. He had given up the first goal on the first shot he faced in three of his last four starts. That didn’t happen Tuesday, with Woll looking a little more comfortable.
“He’s a young goalie that doesn’t have a lot of experience in the league, and missed a ton of time coming back from quite an injury,” Keefe told reporters in New Jersey before the game.
“Finding a groove has been difficult. That’s really it. The challenge for him is to take each game as they come.”
Woll won for the first time since March 28, stopping 18 of 20 shots in a bounceback performance.
Leafs lead
If there’s a truism about Robertson, it’s that he comes back with a vengeance after he’s been a healthy scratch. He did it again Tuesday, scoring in his first game back for the fourth time this season. It gave the Leafs a 1-0 lead.
The Devils’ Nico Hischier split the defence for a breakaway and deked Woll to tie the game before the end of the first period.
New Jersey was using the same script from a couple of weeks ago, getting outplayed by Toronto but getting good goals. Dawson Mercer jumped on a Mitch Marner giveaway for a 2-1 lead in the middle period.
But Bertuzzi and Giordano scored nine seconds apart late in the second give Toronto a one-goal lead heading into the third.
Roster changes
Defenceman Conor Timmins was back in the lineup, with Ilya Lyubushkin given the night off. Robertson and Noah Gregor also got into the lineup with Connor Dewar and Ryan Reaves given a rest day.
“I want to get everybody involved,” Keefe said.
Martin Jones backed up Woll, with Ilya Samsonov getting a rest day back in Toronto.