It was inevitable that Auston Matthews would continue his ascent on the NHL`s all-time goals list.
The Toronto Maple Leafs captain achieved his 400th career goal during the game against the Buffalo Sabres.
With just over two minutes remaining and the Sabres` goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen pulled, Matthews seized a loose puck and scored into the empty net, marking this significant career milestone.
This goal places Matthews among hockey`s elite.
At 27 years old, Matthews reached 400 goals in just 628 games, becoming the sixth fastest player to do so. This puts him in the company of legendary scorers like Wayne Gretzky (436 games), Mike Bossy (506), Mario Lemieux (508), Brett Hull (520), and Jari Kurri (608). Alexander Ovechkin reached his 400th goal in 634 games on his path to becoming the NHL`s all-time leading goal scorer.
Since his NHL debut in 2016, Matthews has consistently been recognized as a premier goal scorer. His 0.64 goals-per-game pace ranks fifth in NHL history.
This season, Matthews` production has slightly decreased due to injuries, limiting him to 66 of Toronto`s 81 games with 32 goals and 76 points. Last season, he narrowly missed 70 goals, scoring 69 in 81 games.
Tristan Blackwood