Auston Matthews (Frank Gunn, The Associated Press)
Auston Matthews struck 50 in a commanding win against a bitter Winnipeg Jets team.
Here are my 5 takeaways as the Leafs fought back from an early deficit to hammer the Jets in a nasty affair.
1. Hit 'Em with the 50 like Auston Matthews
He did it. Nobody in their right mind would have predicted that Auston Matthews would fail to reach the 50-goal plateau this season, but that doesn't make it any less impressive.
This season is now among the 20 best scoring seasons of all time, according to Hockey Reference's era-adjusted goal leaderboard. Strangely enough, that isn't his highest ranking season of all time, but nonetheless, this is the first time he has reached 50 goals, due to factors like COVID postponements. In typical Auston Matthews fashion (just being sarcastic), he drilled the 50th goal of the season with an empty-netter.
He is barely holding off Leon Draisaitl for the NHL goal-scoring lead, despite his exploits, though it should be noted that Draisaitl has played 6 more games. Not only is his goal-scoring wowing the league, but he is sneakily fifth in the league in points and is a bona fide Selke Trophy candidate.
Matthews needs 5 more goals to surpass Rick Vaive for the franchise lead in goals. With 15 games remaining, it would be stunning if he doesn't reach that number. Keep in mind that Matthews has scored 43 goals in his past 45 games. It would be undoubtedly the best single season by a Toronto Maple Leaf ever, if he doesn't own that record already.
Another wild stat is that if Matthews keeps up his average career pace of goals per game (0.63), he will pass Mats Sundin's 420 goals with Toronto.
COVID postponements may prevent Matthews from ever reaching Wayne Greztky's 892 goals, but consider that he has the same goal scoring average through his first 6 seasons as Alex Ovechkin. Ovechkin is the man widely expected to beat Greztaky's record.
In short, we are witnessing history. We have the privilege of watching the most talented Leaf of all time. Crazy to think that he is still just 24.
2. The Refereeing is Becoming Atrocious
I made it just under 3/4 of the season before the refs started really getting on my nerves. That's not a a testament to the good officiating; that's a testament to how reasonable a Leafs fan I have been this season. But I'm done with this garbage now.
The Leafs had 6 power plays last night, but they probably should have had at least 10. How many times do I need to say that refs need to call the game by the rules? It doesn't matter that the Leafs have already gotten multiple power plays in a game; you have to call penalties if they occur.
The NHL's argument would be that giving a team "excessive" amounts of power play opportunities would be unfair. That's simply outrageous. What is really unfair is that teams are allowed to commit infractions and get away with it for the simple fact that they've done it multiple time already.
Here's a stat for all those who think the league is biased towards Toronto. The Leafs have the fourth-lowest amount of power play opportunities this season. Only the New York Islanders, Arizona Coyotes and Columbus Blue Jackets have earned less this season. The Leafs are a very quick team (Alex Kerfoot, Mitch Marner, Ilya Mikheyev, Pierre Engvall, Morgan Rielly; do I need to continue?) that play at a rapid-fire pace. It simply does not compute that they would be 29th in the league for power play opportunities. Despite having clearly the highest power play percentage in the NHL, they don't have the most power play goals in the league.
Here are four screenshots of blatant power plays that must have been called by any competent ref (all clips via TSN).
The Leafs' roster has been constructed to take advantage of special teams. So when the refs clearly make the wrong calls against Toronto more often than anybody else, I get a little angry. You only need to go back to my last article to see a perfectly justified complaint about officiating in a Leafs game.
3. Ilya Mikheyev is Transformed
Wow, what has happened to Ilya Mikheyev. The man of many nicknames has gone from somebody with no hands or finishing ability to a guy who is executing almost every single one of his numerous breakaway chances.
Yet again, Mikheyev used an unreal burst of speed to get into open ice while shorthanded. However, this time, it was his skill that allowed him to beat the goaltender and go top-shelf. It was yet another indication of a guy who has been utterly transformed.
In 93 career NHL games before this season, Ilya Mikheyev had 15 goals. In 38 games this season, he has 15. Adjusted for an 82-game season, Mikheyev is on a 32-goal pace this season. Before this year, we knew that "Cobra" was a good defensive player and one of the fastest skaters in the NHL.
In 2022, Mikheyev has kept those traits, but notably added a really good shot and an unreal collection of dekes to his arsenal. It's turning him into the weapon that is keeping William Nylander off the second line.
In wins this season, Mikheyev has scored 13 goals. He is a +18 in the 24 games in which he has appeared and Toronto has won. He is tied for the league lead in short-handed goals despite having played at least 16 games less than every other player with 4 on the year. Toronto's unbelievably successful penalty kill stems massively from Mikheyev's speed and improved finishing ability.
4. IR Update
Poor Petr Mrazek. It's been a brutal season for the Czech. His year has been disrupted by injuries, COVID shutdowns and general poor defensive play. However, it looked as if he was starting to get a rhythm going. In two full games since the disastrous Heritage Classic, Mrazek had a .931 SV%, 1.15 goals saved above expected and a 2.00 GAA. It was coming together for him, but after pulling his groin against Boston, Mrazek is out until the playoffs.
On the bright side, the Leafs have two incomings to make up for Mrazek's absence. Jake Muzzin is "real close" to a return, which would give a boost to a D-corps that doesn't seem to need one. Jack Campbell has been confirmed as Toronto's starter for tomorrow's game against the Philadelphia Flyers. Ilya Lyubsuhkin has returned to practice after taking a nasty sucker punch from Taylor Hall.
The big one is obviously Campbell. Allegedly, he was playing through this rib injury during his lowest point, so maybe the Campbell we saw in 2021 is a better reflection of who he is than the version that we saw in 2022. Nevertheless, if Campbell can be close to a .920 goalie with about a 2.50 GAA, the Leafs can make the second round. If Campbell is more like the .890 goalie that we saw in January and parts of February, the Leafs are finished. It'll be intriguing to see how he performs upon his return. Now that Mrazek is out for six weeks, the Leafs need Campbell to be better than ever. Though Erik Kallgren has been a decent stand-in option, there should be no universe where Kallgren starts a playoff game.
5. The Perfect Photo
(Jets TV)
For all the Leafs fans that wanted to give Mark Scheifele a nice punch to the jaw after his stupid comment about whether there was anything better than beating the Leafs, this one is for you.
Wins are always nice, but wins over the Jets just taste a little sweeter.
ALL STATS COURTESY OF MONEYPUCK AND NATURAL STAT TRICK
NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED
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