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Auston Matthews, the star forward of the Toronto Maple Leafs, has been making waves in the 2023-24 NHL with his remarkable scoring prowess. On the evening of Saturday, Oct 14, 2023, Auston Matthews scored his second-consecutive hat trick, aiding the Toronto Maple Leafs in their 7-4 massive win over the Minnesota Wild. This outstanding achievement cements his place in NHL history, making him only the fifth player to achieve consecutive hat tricks to kick off a season.
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With each passing season, Matthews has continued to impress fans and analysts with his remarkable goal-scoring ability.
Here are the best reactions of NHL fans and supporters as they discuss the outstanding goals:
"I doubt it"
There are numerous unpredictable factors that could influence the trajectory of his career, mainly his health and the ever-evolving offensive landscape in the NHL.
"If he stays healthy, he could have a shot"
Given that the Maple Leafs center celebrated his 26th birthday less than a month ago, this is truly a remarkable achievement. Remarkably, he's the 10th quickest player in NHL history to hit the 300-goal milestone, all while playing in a period where scoring goals has been a challenge.
"The biggest thing is the aging curve"
"Matthews won't able to"
Auston Matthews' historic journey with the Toronto Maple Leafs
Mats Sundin's incredible 420-goal record as a Maple Leaf stands as a testament to his 13-year tenure. Auston Matthews, who signed a four-year extension with Toronro in Aug 2023, is on track to surpass this historic milestone.
Assuming a season free of an uninterrupted season, Matthews has 409 games remaining on his contract with the Maple Leafs.
With an impressive career availability rate of 89.8%, its reasonable to anticipate and have fair prediction that he'll take the ice for 367 more games under his current contract.
So, can Matthew surpass Ovechkin in the long haul?
Auston Matthews has the capacity to emulate Ovechkin's mature style of play to some extent, utilizing his formidable one-timer and release. However, it's uncertain whether he can ward off declining scoring performance as effectively as the Russian sensation.
Joining the exclusive company of Alex Ovechkin (2017-18), Cy Denneny (1917-18), Joe Malone (1917-18), and Reg Noble (1917-18), Matthews is currently in peak condition and enjoying robust health, which is excellent news for both the Leafs and fantasy hockey team managers.
Nevertheless, it appears that the 26-year-old has a promising path to reaching 700 goals and a realistic route to 800.
Assuming he'll surpass that milestone is overly optimistic, but it's difficult to set a limit oh his goal-scoring abilities.
