Sheldon Keefe, Toronto Maple Leafs head coach, believes Auston Matthews’ pursuit of 70 goals is a huge distraction.
On April 13, Matthews scored his 69th goal of the season, putting him on track to become the first NHL player to reach 70 goals since Alexander Moginly and Teemu Selanne in 1992-93.
With two games remaining this season, Matthews has the potential to reach 70 goals, but Keefe acknowledges it has become a significant distraction for the club.
“Clearly, that is a significant distraction. Does not assist us achieve our goals on the ice. But it is exciting. I got it. It’s especially noticeable when he reaches the age of 69. It is growing. Anticipating. And now you are feeding it. I am feeding it. I want it to happen. “But I want it for the fans,” Keefe stated. “I had a dozen 10-year-olds come up to me and ask how many Auston was going to get. Everyone is really thrilled about that. It is clearly a thing. I understand the excitement surrounding it.”
With the focus on the playoffs for Toronto, Keefe says he hasn’t decided whether to rest Matthews or let him play in search of his 70th goal of the season.
“We will make the decision we believe is best for the squad. We have folks dropping right now. We’ll have to dress 18 skaters. So, we have some guys who will not be available to us. So that will be a factor. And the salary cap remains what it is. We can only have so many males. “There are a lot of things to figure out here in the next little while,” Keefe continued.
This season, Matthews has played 79 games and scored 69 goals and 38 assists for 107 points.
Matthews enjoys the support in the race for 70 goals.
As his pursuit of 70 goals continues, Matthews has received a lot of encouragement from Maple Leafs supporters.
During Toronto’s home games, people hold signs cheering on Matthews as he attempts to make history, which he said has been pleasurable for him.
“It’s great to have the city’s backing, as well as the fan base. It means a lot. “It’s obviously really cool and special,” Matthews stated.
However, if Matthews wants to score 70 goals, he will have to do so on the road, since Toronto will play the Florida Panthers on April 16 and the Tampa Bay Lightning on April 17.
The Maple Leafs finished third in the Atlantic.
Toronto will start the playoffs as the third seed in the Atlantic Division.
The Maple Leafs are 40-24-10, good for 102 points, six behind the Florida Panthers and six points ahead of the Tampa Bay Lightning for the top Wild Card slot.
If the playoffs started now, Toronto would face Florida in the first round, as the Panthers are one point behind the Boston Bruins for first place. If the Maple Leafs play Florida in the first round, it will be a rematch of last year’s second round, when the Panthers defeated Toronto in five games.
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