Austonmania is in full force as Leafs Matthews approaches 70 goals

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Sheldon Keefe can't go anywhere without asking about Auston Matthews.

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The Maple Leafs coach is good at that.

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While Matthews was two goals shy of becoming the first player in the National Hockey League to score 70 goals in a season since 1992-93, Keefe told his story as a hockey dad Friday night.

“I'm at the rink with my kids (sons Landon and Wyatt) and I had 10-year-olds running up to me yesterday asking how many Austons they could get,” Keefe said Saturday morning. . “Everyone is happy about it.

“The Leafs have a lot of young fans, some as young as 10 years old, who have never seen anything like this in the NHL in their entire lives, so I've heard from everyone around him. It's certainly interesting.

“From my point of view, I'm very interested in Auston's game and wherever he plays and wherever the number is, it doesn't bother me. I'm not even sure he cares about that. Even now, where he is right now is a huge achievement that most people have never seen in their lifetime. We'll see tonight what the rest of the season brings.

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Against the Detroit Red Wings — the opponent in Toronto's final home game of the 2023-24 regular season — Matthews has 16 goals in 23 career games.

If he reaches 70, whether on Saturday at Scotiabank Arena or on the road at Florida or Tampa Bay on Tuesday and Wednesday, Matthews will record just the 15th 70-goal season in NHL history. Alex Mogilny and Teemu Selanne each scored 76 goals in 1992-93, and the only player to approach 70 since then was Mario Lemieux, who scored 69 goals in 1995-96.

The historical implications of Matthews' actions will not be forgotten by anyone, least of all veteran Red Wings star Patrick Kane.

“I feel like 60 is a big number when (Steven) Stamkos (2011-12) and (Alex) Ovechkin (2007-08) hit,” Kane said. “Seventy types seemed inaccessible to anyone.

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“Even this year, I know there was some talk about it, but it didn't seem like a real number and all of a sudden (Matthews) was right there. I know he's had five or six hat tricks this year so that adds up, but his production has been off the charts. It's great.”

What does Kane, no self-proclaimed bully, see in Matthews' production ability?

“There's a lot of talk about his shooting and his release, but a lot of his goals are around the net, right in the crease,” Kane said. “He scores beautiful goals, dirty goals, one-timers, wrist shots, changing angles, taking shots from shots. He can score in any way.”

In good news for Matthews and the Leafs, Max Domi will be in the lineup Friday after practicing with an undisclosed injury. The chemistry between Matthews, Domi and Tyler Bertuzzi was tough to keep opponents in check.

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“The way things came together here with Auston and Max and Burt is a real thing,” Keefe said. “This is not just a short-term thing. It gives our team a completely different look.”

Defenseman Timothy Liljegren will return after missing eight games with an upper body injury. Joel Edmundson will not play in Thursday's game against New Jersey after eight games with an interception. Edmundson skated Saturday morning.

“It has nothing to do with a previous injury, just something that came up, and we're being overly cautious,” Keefe said. “All things considered, we'll give him the night off tonight.”

Ryan Reaves will play after being scratched the last two games.

Ilya Samsonov will get the start in net for the Leafs, while the Wings will counter with James Reimer. The former Leafs goaltender will play in his 500th NHL game.

In 207 games with the Leafs from 2010-16, Reimer was 85-76-23 with a .914 save percentage. He played in eight games against Toronto, going 2-2-0 with an .850 save percentage in eight games.

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