Daily Faceoff: Frank Seravalli and Tyler Yaremchuk talk about Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews and if he can reach 70 goals this season, and if he could score 50 goals in 50 games.
** NHLRumors.com transcription
Yaremchuk: “This guy might do something historic this year.”
Seravalli: “He is certainly trending in that direction to be the first 70-goal scorer that we’ve seen in the NHL since Teemu Selanne. But when you look at this year and the way that it’s unfolded, by the way, one of the great goaltending performances we’ve seen, not just this year, but the last few years from Lukas Dostal, but when you look at Matthews and 30 goals in 35 games, it starts to make me wonder for a guy who has three hat tricks this year, is there any chance that 50 and 50 is in play? Like am I crazy for having that thought go through my head last night, as I saw him hit 30 to be the first one to hit 30 this year?”
Yaremchuk: “Like I don’t think it’s crazy. And again, it kind of ties a little bit into what we talked about yesterday with McDavid. Where it’s like okay, can you get to 1000th this year? Well, the math doesn’t make sense, but what McDavid is capable of is five or six points in any given night.
What Austin Matthews is capable of, capable of and we talked about this, you talked about on the DFO Rundown, but and he’s done it already this year back-to-back hat tricks. Maybe he can get three hat tricks in 10 games and all of a sudden, it’s like when you think about the conventional math of doing 50 and 50, based on where he’s at right now you go not too tough.
But with guys like Austin Matthews, when we know he can just bury the puck in bunches. I think it’s really hard to sit here and say a definitive no like, is it likely? Obviously not. But I think he’s more than capable of it.”
Seravalli: “Yeah, a couple games coming up against the San Jose Sharks. I mean, that’ll certainly help as well. So I don’t think it’s likely. He’s I think he’s on track for 43 and 50 if I’m not mistaken, that’s what the math is.
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But, you know, you never know. The fact that we’re even having this discussion, I think is it speaks to how impressive this season has been. And I think the craziest part has been for someone that’s the first in the league to 30 this year, he’s still probably not their MVP.”