Auston Matthews breaks Leafs franchise record for most goals in a season with 55

It seemed inevitable even in Matthews’ rookie season that he’d eventually set a new franchise record for most goals in a season, and he finally did that Thursday night.

Matthews broke the record on a power-play goal late in the second period against the Dallas Stars to give the Leafs a 2-1 lead. Matthews previously tied the record with a three-goal performance on Monday night against the Tampa Bay Lightning, which got him goals 52, 53, and 54. For good measure he added No. 56 to clinch a 4-3 win for Toronto in overtime Thursday night.

The goal passes Rick Vaive for most goals in a season by a Maple Leafs player. Vaive has held the record since the 1981-82 season, where he scored 54 goals in 77 games, along with 35 assists for 89 points overall.

Matthews has been having a dominant season, even by his standards, as along with the 56 goals, he has 41 assists for 97 points in just 65 games. He currently sits fifth in the league in points and first in goals, with the great stats along with his two-way game giving him strong consideration for the Hart Trophy this season.

If not for COVID-19 shortening two seasons, Matthews probably would have broken Vaive’s record sooner. He was on pace for 55 goals in 2019-20 before the regular season got cancelled, and would have easily cleared it in the shortened 2020-21 season with his 64-goal pace. Matthews has 49 goals in his past 49 games. He’s scoring at a 70-goal pace but, having missed five games, is on pace to finish with 65 in 77 games.