Auston Matthews notched his 56th and 57th goals of the season, leading the Toronto Maple Leafs to a decisive 7-3 victory over the Washington Capitals on Wednesday. Despite Alex Ovechkin closing in on Wayne Gretzky’s record with two goals of his own, Matthews stole the spotlight by matching his career-high with five points.
Ovechkin’s goals of 844 and 845 brought him 50 goals closer to breaking Gretzky’s longstanding record. With 23 goals this season, Ovechkin’s recent surge of 15 goals since January 22nd compensates for a slower start, with only eight goals in his first 43 games.
However, Matthews’ exceptional performance, including two goals and a potential hat trick goal that was disallowed due to an offside call, placed him within striking distance of reaching 70 goals this season. With just eight goals needed to tie Ovechkin’s career-best season of 65 from 2007-08, Matthews showcased his scoring prowess.
While Ovechkin and Matthews demonstrated their scoring prowess with four goals between them, other players also made their mark on the scoresheet. Connor McMichael contributed a goal for Washington, while William Nylander, Jake McCabe, Bobby McMann, Tyler Bertuzzi, and John Tavares found the back of the net for Toronto.
