Auston Matthews back to his net-busting best

In a season considered by some to be a down year after his 60-goal effort in 2021-22, Auston Matthews is still on the verge of a 40-goal campaign. The Maple Leafs star is on a seven-game points streak, marked by six goals, five assists and 41 shots on goal.

Video Transcript

OMAR: Auston Matthews is on the verge of a 40-goal season in a down year. I'm going to say that again because that's hilarious. Auston Matthews is on the verge of another 40-goal season in a down year. Remember that?

Remember when the whole-- all the conversation was, oh, Matthews looks great defensively, but offensively he looks off? He doesn't look as dangerous. And as of late, he has gotten back to his dominating era, his dominating form. And literally, he is goals away from hitting that 40-goal mark, which is Ovechkin-like.

Remember when Ovechkin would have a down year, but he'd be ripping 30 or 35 goals? That's how prolific of a goal scorer Matthews has been in the league and the Leafs organization. He's creeping up, like historic, organizational numbers. He's getting close to passing Rick Vaive. That's how great of a player he's been in his tenure as a Leaf. And again, that's just how hilarious he is as a player and how hilarious this season has been. So 40 goals isn't 60, but it's still 40.