Leafs’ Auston Matthews scores 400th goal of NHL career

One of the best players in the history of an Original Six franchise has hit another milestone.

On Tuesday night, Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews scored goal No. 400 of his NHL career, becoming the sixth-fastest player in NHL history to reach the mark.

The goal came late in the third period against the rival Buffalo Sabres. With the Maple Leafs up by two, Matthews was on the ice with the Sabres’ net empty. Mitch Marner, who had just hit the 100-point mark not minutes before, was purposely looking for Matthews to notch his 400th goal. It almost didn’t work, as Matthews missed the pass. Yet, No. 34 collected the puck and buried it into the twine, becoming just the second player in Leafs’ history to reach the milestone with the team.

The Leafs went on to win the game, 4-0.

Former Toronto captain Mats Sundin was the first player in Leafs history to score 400 in the blue and white. During his tenure with the franchise, Sundin posted 420 goals. That record is most likely to be broken next year.

Matthews scored the 400th tally of his career in 628 games, surpassing Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin, who achieved the milestone in 634 games. Matthews was a little behind the guys in front of him, including Wayne Gretzky, who is the fastest player to reach the mark, doing so in 436 games.

In case you’re curious about the math – Matthews with Matthews having scored 400 goals in 628 games, he’s averaged 0.64 goals per game. Ovechkin, the all-time goal-scoring leader in NHL history, has scored 896 goals in 1,489 games, an average of 0.60 goals a game…just saying.

There’s no question that Matthews is already one of the best players in the team’s history. He has scored at least 30 goals in each of his eight seasons with team, setting a franchise record with 69 goals last year. Along with winning the Calder Trophy, the Arizona native has won the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy three times, taking him the Ted Lindsay Award and Hart Trophy in 2021-22.

With the win over the Sabres, the Maple Leafs clinched the Atlantic Division championship, setting up a first-round matchup with the rival Ottawa Senators.