After two games without a goal, Auston Matthews has scored once again.
Early in the third period of Tuesday night's game against Tampa Bay, Matthews received a pass across the front of the goal from teammate Mitchell Marner. Finding himself all alone, he rifled a one-timer past Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy to give Toronto a 2-1 lead.
All alone in the sweet spot 🚨#LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/mMsihpr8r3
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) March 11, 2020
It ended up being the game-winner in a 2-1 victory for the Maple Leafs. The win was huge for Toronto in the playoff race, with the Florida Panthers lurking just one point behind the Leafs coming into the night. They now have a three-point cushion over Florida with 12 games left to play.
Matthews' goal also brought his tally to 47 on the season, just one behind Boston's David Pastrnak and Washington's Alex Ovechkin in the race for the Rocket Richard Trophy.
MORE: Rocket Richard Trophy tracker
The race looks like it's coming down to the wire. Pastrnak has failed to score in his last two games, while Ovechkin has notched three in three games to move into a tie for the lead. The Capitals superstar has played one less game than the other two, so he holds a slight advantage for the time being.
Matthews also continues to chase Rick Vaive's record for most goals in a season by a Maple Leafs' player. Matthews needs eight more goals in 12 games to surpass Vaive's 54.
