Matthews made history with his 66th goal for the Leafs

Auston Matthews scored his 66th goal of the season for 70 and teammate Tyler Bertuzzi also scored twice as the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the New Jersey Devils 5-2 on Tuesday night.

Toronto's Matthews (goal and assist), Bertuzzi (two goals and one assist) and Max Domi (two assists) were electric again, scoring seven points.

Bertuzzi, who was once on a 17-game goal drought, surpassed the 20-goal mark for the fourth time in his career. He now has 14 goals in his last 21 games for Toronto.

Defenseman Mark Giordano and winger Nick Robertson also scored for Toronto, while Jake McCabe added two helpers.

The 26-year-old, who scored his 66th goal in a 5-2 win over the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday, became the first NHL player to surpass Matthews' 65 as he teared up his third Rocket Richard Trophy in four years. Goal plateau since No. 66, Mario Lemieux, 1995-96.

Matthews has scored in six consecutive games. Eight in last eight. It's eleven on the 11th.

“It's so cool, man,” McCabe says. “As you can see, we were surprised.”

“It's still crazy,” adds newcomer Matthew Kneiss, an Arizonan inspired by the Scottsdale shooter. “Sixty was crazy. Sixty-five, you look at him in amazement. It's amazing what he can do. Cross my fingers; I want to see 70.”

Toronto's third straight win ensured the Leafs surpassed the 100-point mark for the fifth straight season. The Leafs are currently in second place in the Atlantic Division, three points behind the Florida Panthers with one game to play.

The Leafs host the Devils for a rematch at Scotiabank Arena on Thursday.

With files from Sportsnet's Luke Fox

Leave a Reply Cancel reply