Toronto Maple Leafs centre Auston Matthews (34) was celebrated before the game for becoming the team’s all-time leading goal scorer, then during and after for his play in a 4-1 win over Florida on Tuesday.Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press
If Tuesday night was all about passing the torch for the Toronto Maple Leafs – as former franchise-record goal scorer Mats Sundin was on hand to formally recognize his successor, Auston Matthews – then it seems only fitting that the Florida Panthers were in the building.
After going to the past three Stanley Cup finals – winning the last two – and eliminating Toronto in two of those post-seasons, the Panthers, for many the model franchise in today’s NHL, don’t do free passes. If anyone wants the Stanley Cup this coming spring, it will have to be ripped from the Panthers’ claws.
That’s if they even get there. Both Toronto and Florida, who have won the past two Atlantic Division titles, are in a league-wide scrap to stay in the playoff picture.
But the Leafs, after their 4-1 win over the Panthers on Tuesday night, have at least drawn level with their playoff nemesis in the standings at 47 points, with the pair now two back of the Pittsburgh Penguins for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference with 40 games to go.
Toronto’s victory – its second straight over Florida this season – was capped by Matthews’s 21st goal of the season.
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Having been given a commemorative frame by Sundin pre-game, containing the two pucks and the game sheet from Saturday’s game in New York against the Islanders, when he first equalled and then passed Sundin’s 420 goals for Toronto, the Leafs captain tallied the 422nd of his Toronto career 4:01 into the second period.
Taking a reverse pass from Matthew Knies, Matthews one-timed the puck past Sergei Bobrovsky to put the Leafs up 3-0, for his sixth goal in his past three games.
For Sundin, who had flown in from Sweden earlier in the day to acknowledge the man who had dislodged him from the top of the team’s goal-scoring tree, it was important to recognize the achievement in person.
“I think I can relate to where Auston Matthews is in his career at this point,” Sundin said. “You know, it’s kind of anxiety trying to get [the record] over with, because he’s got more important things to think about, winning games and winning hockey games for the Leafs.”
Former Toronto Maple Leaf Mats Sundin, left, congratulated Auston Matthews on becoming the all-time franchise leader in goals prior to Tuesday night’s game against Florida getting underway.Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press
Matthews, who found out Monday that Sundin was heading over for the game, was appreciative of his predecessor’s transatlantic trip to confer the pre-game honour on him.
“Yeah, it means a lot, all of it means a lot,” he said afterwards. “It’s special, like I’ve said, it’s special to wear this jersey. It’s an absolute honour. And to have Mats come in, to have so many players before us that have paved the way and worn this jersey, it’s very, very special, and I’m very, very appreciative.”
The pair, who also share a bond as the only two non-Canadian captains of the Toronto Maple Leafs history in addition to their place atop the team goal-scoring charts, are now forever connected in the team record books. However, for all his regular-season success, which includes a Hart Trophy as league MVP to go along with three Rocket Richard Trophies, Matthews is still chasing the one prize that has eluded the franchise since 1967.
While Sundin had success internationally – winning Olympic gold with Sweden 20 years ago in Turin – he never managed to lead the Leafs to the top of the NHL mountain. However, in reaching two final fours in four seasons, he got further than Matthews, who has yet to make it beyond the second round. Florida has ended Toronto’s season the two times the team has gone that far in the past 22 years.
And while Florida was comfortably beaten Tuesday night, with goals from Easton Cowan, Knies and Matthews establishing a 3-0 Toronto lead barely 24 minutes into the game before Carter Verhaeghe got one back, the team is still to welcome back premier performers like Matthew Tkachuk. The all-star winger hasn’t played since June’s Stanley Cup final, but was on the ice Tuesday morning as he nears a return from surgery on a torn adductor and a sports hernia.
Besides, as the Leafs can attest after being up 2-0 in what turned out to be a seven-game playoff loss last May, the Panthers are masters at coming up biggest when the stakes are highest.
Sam Bennett, recently left off Canada’s Olympic roster despite winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP last spring, and Brad Marchand epitomize that more than most, with the pair combining for 25 goals in the spring.
While neither scored Tuesday night, both would be the first to point out that Matthews – great goal scorer though he is – has as many playoff goals against the Panthers in 12 games as he had on Tuesday night. Which is to say, one.
Breaking character somewhat, Marchand, like Sundin, was very complimentary of Matthews ahead of the game. But Marchand being Marchand – having already criticized the Leafs fanbase for the way it “ran Marner out of town” – the former Bruins captain had to add a little extra spice to the proceedings too.
“It’s really impressive, actually, what he’s done at a very young age,” Marchand said. “I mean, with how old the Maple Leafs franchise is, it’s impressive that he’s already broken that record, and he’s still got 10, 15 years left in the league. Whether it’s here or not, you know, we’ll see.
“Just kidding.”