maple leafs

Matthews hits 60, Leafs clinch home ice with win over Wings

Apr 27, 2022 • 8:57 pm

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The Toronto Maple Leafs and Auston Matthews eliminated most of the late-season drama in their 3-0 victory over the Detroit Red Wings at Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday, as the club locked up home-ice advantage in the first round with the win and Matthews all but locked up his second straight Rocket Richard Trophy with a pair of goals and solidified his chances for the Hart being the first NHLer to score 60 goals in a decade and the first American to reach that mark in 30 years.

“It was pretty special honestly. Just the reception from my teammates, the crowd, everything. It just kind of sends chills down your bones, it’s just kind of hard to put into words.… Matthews said after the game. “I was nervous about it being offsides, that was going through my head, but I was just able to get the puck, had some room down the middle, and shot it.…

You knew it was coming ðŸ˜‰ pic.twitter.com/1oTGRg22uG
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) April 27, 2022

Unlike the wide-open 10-7 meeting between the two sides in late February, the Leafs had trouble converting against the Wings and goalie Alex Nedeljkovic until Matthews finally broke through late in the second period to give Toronto the lead. John Tavares extended the lead on a nice feed from William Nylander, and Matthews put the game away with his 60th on the power play.

Jack Campbell made 20 saves for his 31st win and fifth shutout of the season, and the Leafs have clinched second place in the Atlantic Division with their 53rd win of the campaign. If Tampa Bay earns one point in their final two games or Boston loses, the Lightning will lock up third place and a meeting with Toronto next week.

Defensemen Jake Muzzin played nearly 21 minutes in his first action after missing six games with an undisclosed minor injury and the veteran blueliner played well after shaking off some initial rust.

The Leafs now have the luxury of resting some players in a fairly meaningless season finale against Boston on Friday. Head coach Sheldon Keefe said a decision on whether to play Campbell or backup Erik Kallgren would be made later in the week, and it is possible that Matthews and workhorses like Morgan Rielly and TJ Brodie will be rested.

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