Achi news desk-
TORONTO – Auston Matthews and Connor McDavid have become closer off the ice.
The star centers sometimes skate together in the summer and now share the same agent.
They also have unique perspectives on what the other is dealing with as the face of the NHL.
“I have a lot of respect for him as a player, as a person,” said Matthews, the Maple Leafs sharpshooter. “A guy who takes a lot of responsibility with who he is.”
The duo will be featured once again on Saturday when Toronto hosts McDavid’s Edmonton Oilers.
And not just because of the usual name recognition.
Matthews has scored 57 times in 67 games as part of his quest to become the first NHL player to reach 70 goals since 1992-93.
Meanwhile, McDavid has 86 assists in 65 contests and is on pace to break the century mark for the first time since 1990-91.
“They’ve been unbelievable,” Leafs captain John Tavares said following Friday’s practice. “They’re going to define this generation of players with their skill set, how they’ve impacted the game. They change the game in many ways.”
Tavares has been given a front row seat.
The 33-year-old center, who like Matthews and McDavid is the number 1 pick in the draft, missed out on the 2014-15 Art Ross Trophy as the league’s leading scorer by one point.
Jamie Benn of the Dallas Stars won that year with a total of 87, which would not crack the current top-10 with 3 1/2 weeks remaining on the schedule.
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“It might seem like a long time ago,” Tavares said. “It’s not really that long ago.”
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Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said the league-wide offensive explosion was in part due to rule changes.
“Having said that,” he added, “the talent level of the players is outrageous when we start talking about some of these guys.”
Matthews said those on-ice summer skills sessions with the lightning-quick McDavid were mutually beneficial.
“Everybody has different strengths and different weaknesses,” said Matthews, who has one of hockey’s best games with the puck. “His game is very unique, and there’s a lot of stuff I’m not as good at as the way he skates. There really isn’t anyone in the world – maybe one other man – who can skate like him.
“You try to take different pieces and try to weave into your own game, and try to play to your strengths.”
Teemu Selane and Alexander Mogilny were the last NHLers to reach 70 goals when they each had 76 in 1992-93.
Wayne Gretzky is the latest player to surpass 100 assists – the Great One did it 11 times and is one of only three men to accomplish the feat – some 33 years ago.
“They’ve done a tremendous job,” Tavares said of McDavid and Matthews raising the bar. “How they’ve affected the game, how dominant they are, the consistency night in and night out.”
The Leafs (39-20-9) enter Saturday firmly entrenched in the Atlantic Division’s No. 3 spot, unlikely to move up or down before the end of the regular season.
The Oilers (42-21-4), meanwhile, still have designs on first in the Pacific thanks to their current 9-1-2 streak.
However, McDavid wasn’t thrilled with his team’s last two performances – a 3-2 overtime decision against Montreal and an 8-3 win over Buffalo that included a 2-0 deficit and a five-goal third period.
“Games that could have gone the other way,” Edmonton’s captain told reporters in the Alberta capital following Thursday’s win. “We would have a different conversation.”
Matthews said his group will have to be ready on the Scotiabank Arena stage.
“One of the hottest teams in the league,” he said. “They haven’t really slowed down.”
Neither has Saturday’s star attractions.
ESSAY 50
Oilers winger Zach Hyman has scored a staggering 48 times this season and could hit 50 against his former team.
The 31-year-old, who never managed to score more than 21 goals over his five full seasons with Toronto, signed with Edmonton in July 2021.
Hyman put up 27 and 36 goals with the Oilers his first two campaigns before breaking out in 2023-24.
“The evolution curve is pretty outstanding,” Tavares said. “I don’t think many people have pegged him to be where he is or what he’s about to do.”
LOST JUDGE
Leaf winger Mitch Marner will sit out the weekend – Toronto visits Carolina on Sunday – with a high ankle sprain that has already cost him five games.
BRODIE IS SITTING
Once a mainstay on the blue line, Leafs defenseman TJ Brodie looks certain to be healthy enough for a second straight contest.
“Brods is a better player than he has played,” Keefe said. “He’s also played better hockey than the perception might be.”
“I’d like him to clear his head,” the coach continued. “He’s had a tough time here from the start of training camp.’
This report was first published by The Canadian Press on March 22, 2024.
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