TORONTO — Even when he fails to score, Auston Matthews continues to revise the Toronto Maple Leafs' record book.
Matthews notched his 100th and 101st points with two assists in the Maple Leafs' 7-3 throttling of the Washington Capitals as William Nylander, Michael Bunting and Ilya Mikheyev each scored twice on Thursday.
Matthews became the third player in Maple Leafs' history to score 100 or more points in a season.
Darryl Sittler was the first, checking in with 117 points in 1977-78. Doug Gilmour followed up his 127-point year in 1992-93 with a 111-point campaign in 1993-94.
"It's humbling to be mentioned with those two guys," Matthews said. "They paved the way for us, and they have done a lot for this team and this city."
Matthews has gone two games without a goal but already has set the club record with 58 goals. He is two shy of becoming the first U.S.-born player to score 60 with eight games remaining.
Matthews was more comfortable talking about the impressive victory over Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals. Not only did Toronto captain John Tavares chip in four secondary assists before 18,466 at Scotiabank Arena, but the win also pushed the Maple Leafs (48-20-6) to a victory shy of the club record of 49, set in 2017-18.
"It was a complete game by us," Matthews said.
After their lacklustre performance in a loss at home to the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday, the Maple Leafs had speed back in their game as they scored seven even-strength goals. They also received scoring from all three lines, leading the Capitals by 2-0 after the first period and 6-2 after 40 minutes.
On the Maple Leafs' top line of Matthews, Mitch Marner and Michael Bunting, Bunting snapped a 17-game goal-less drought with his goals in the first and second periods.
"This will boost his confidence," Matthews said. "He is a big part of our line's success."
The Maple Leafs also lauded defenceman Ilya Lyubushkin for scoring his first goal with Toronto and his first goal since April 7, 2021, as a member of the Arizona Coyotes.
Fourth-liner Kyle Clifford also stepped up to fight Washington tough guy Tom Wilson after he crashed into Jack Campbell and sent the Maple Leafs goalie mask flying.
"I just reached for the puck," Campbell said. "It was a hockey play. I met him at the all-star game and thought he was a nice guy."
Wilson received a goalie interference minor penalty late in the first period and then fought Clifford in the second period.
Campbell earned his 28th win as the home team outshot the visitors 32-25. The Capitals (41-23-10) saw their four-game win streak go by the wayside.
For his 100th point, Matthews made a nifty play along the boards to deflect the puck to Marner, who set up Bunting for the opening goal.
Marner chased down the puck as a keepsake for Matthews. Bunting was performing in his 100th career game, and Marner hit the 60-assist mark for the second time in his career.
After Nylander missed an open net, he made up for the mistake by blasting in a 36-foot slapper after taking a pinpoint pass from Pierre Engvall for a 2-0 lead later in the opening period.
Washington defenceman John Carlson made a nice move around Leafs blue-liner Jake Muzzin for the visitors' first goal.
Lyubushkin countered with his first with his new team 11 seconds later, and Nylander jumped on a loose puck eight seconds later for Toronto's 4-1 goal.
The Maple Leafs added two more before the second intermission. Mikheyev batted in a Matthews pass, and Bunting converted a two-on-one with Engvall.
Wilson made it 6-2 in the final minute of the second period, smashing in an Eller pass to extend his career-best goal total to 24 this year.
Mikheyev added his second early in the final frame, and Nic Dowd countered for the Capitals.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 14, 2022.
Tim Wharnsby, The Canadian Press
