Auston Matthews, captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs, has reached a significant milestone in his NHL career by scoring his 400th career goal during a game against the Buffalo Sabres. This achievement came in the third period, where Matthews seized an opportunity to score into an empty net after the Sabres pulled goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen with slightly over two minutes remaining. With this goal, Matthews not only marked a notable personal milestone but also solidified his place among the elite goal-scorers in NHL history.
The 27-year-old Matthews accomplished this impressive feat in just 628 games, making him the sixth-fastest player to reach the 400-goal mark. The list of players who achieved this milestone quicker than Matthews includes some legendary names: Wayne Gretzky, who did it in 436 games; Mike Bossy in 506 games; Mario Lemieux in 508; Brett Hull in 520; and Jari Kurri in 608. Notably, Alex Ovechkin, the current NHL's all-time leading goal-scorer, reached his 400th goal in 634 games.
Since his debut in the NHL during the 2016-2017 season, Matthews has been recognized for his exceptional goal-scoring ability, maintaining a remarkable pace of 0.64 goals per game. This impressive statistic places him fifth on the NHL's all-time goals-per-game list, showcasing his scoring prowess over his relatively short career thus far.
However, Matthews has faced challenges this season, dealing with injuries that have limited his appearances to just 66 out of 81 games. Despite this setback, he has managed to score 32 goals and accumulate 76 points. This performance is a contrast to the previous season when he nearly surpassed the 70-goal mark, finishing with 69 goals in 81 games, underlining his capability as a high-level scorer when healthy.
Marner Hits 100-Point Milestone for the First Time
In addition to Matthews' achievement, teammate Mitch Marner has also reached a significant career milestone by recording 100 points in a single season for the first time. Marner's milestone goal came during a recent victory, making him only the fourth player in Maple Leafs history to achieve the 100-point mark in a season. The other players who have accomplished this feat include Doug Gilmour, Darryl Sittler, and Matthews himself, with Gilmour and Sittler having crossed the 100-point threshold twice.
Throughout his career, Marner has been on the cusp of this mark several times, finishing with 99 points in the 2022-2023 season and 97 points during the 2021-2022 season. He recorded 94 points in the 2018-2019 season. This year, Marner's performance has included a career-high of 73 assists, and he recorded his highest goal tally of 35 during the 2021-2022 season, demonstrating ongoing growth and consistency in his contributions to the team.
As he approaches his 28th birthday, it is noteworthy that Marner is in the final year of his current contract and is likely to enter free agency this summer. Drafted fourth overall in the 2015 NHL Draft, Marner has spent his entire nine-year career with the Maple Leafs, solidifying his role as a key player in the franchise’s success.
