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Auston Matthews sets Maple Leafs rookie goal-scoring record

Auston Matthews has surpassed Wendel Clark as the top-scoring rookie in Maple Leafs history.

Matthews leaped past Clark, who set the franchise rookie mark with 34 goals in the 1985-86 season, with his 35th goal of the season Tuesday night against the Panthers.

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The goal helped Matthews surpass Patrik Laine atop the NHL rookie scoring race.

The 2016 first-overall pick also crept closer to Peter Ihnacak’s Maple Leafs rookie points record. With 62 points on the year, Matthews is only four points back of matching Ihnacak’s 66-point 1982-83 campaign with seven games remaining on the schedule.

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Not to be left out, William Nylander, who assisted Matthews’ record-setting goal, also grabbed a piece of franchise history last week by extending his point streak to 10 games (now at 12), while Zach Hyman set a rookie record by scoring his third short-handed goal of the season in February.

As it stands now, the Maple Leafs have three of the NHL’s top four rookie scorers and have received 110 goals and 278 points from their freshman class this season.