Sheldon Keefe reveals he is against Auston Matthews scoring 70
Auston Matthews is on pace for an incredible 70 goals this season, but his Head Coach Sheldon Keefe may stop that from happening.
In their latest victory, the Toronto Maple Leafs saw superstar goal scoring machine Auston Matthews notch goals No. 61 and 62, and with eight games remaining this season, his chase for 70 goals is well and truly in sight. It would be an incredible story for one of the most talented players in the NHL, but now, Maple Leafs Head Coach Sheldon Keefe has chimed in, and it appears he may not be completely on board with the story.
In his latest interview, Sheldon Keefe revealed that he's much more focused on a potential Stanley Cup run than a regular season record for Matthews, and while he didn't confirm a healthy scratch is coming, it appears as though that may be on his mind. With Morgan Rielly and Mitch Marner both set to return to the Maple Leafs lineup soon, the team have some chemistry to get back before the playoffs, but with their spot in the post-season already locked up, Toronto need to think of the bigger picture.
Ultimately, the story of Matthews tallying 70 in a season would be an incredible one for Toronto fans, but it's clear that they too are craving a Stanley Cup with their last win coming in 1967, so while they may be frustrated with this answer and a potential scratch, it certainly wouldn't be the worst move from Sheldon Keefe.
| POLL | ||
AVRIL 4 | 146 ANSWERS Sheldon Keefe reveals he is against Auston Matthews scoring 70 Should Sheldon Keefe scratch Matthews or let him chase 70 goals? | ||
| Scratch him to keep him healthy | 33 | 22.6 % |
| Let him play the remaining 8 games | 113 | 77.4 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Sean Monahan | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Zachary Werenski | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Nikita Kucherov | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Jesper Bratt | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Mitchell Chaffee | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Anthony Cirelli | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Brandon Hagel | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Dmitry Voronkov | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Jack Hughes | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Cam Atkinson | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Yegor Chinakhov | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Pierre-Luc Dubois | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jack Eichel | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Simon Holmstom | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Kent Johnson | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Stefan Noesen | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Brayden Point | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jack Roslovic | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Nathan Walker | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Ivan Barbashev | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Complete stats | ||||
| STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Jets | 19 | 16 | 3 | - | 32 | |
Hurricanes | 18 | 14 | 4 | - | 28 | |
Capitals | 18 | 13 | 4 | 1 | 27 | |
Wild | 18 | 12 | 3 | 3 | 27 | |
Maple Leafs | 20 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 26 | |
Devils | 21 | 12 | 7 | 2 | 26 | |
Rangers | 17 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 25 | |
Panthers | 19 | 12 | 6 | 1 | 25 | |
Stars | 18 | 12 | 6 | - | 24 | |
Golden Knights | 19 | 11 | 6 | 2 | 24 | |
| Conference | Cumulative | ||||||