Auston Matthews of San Ramon, CA has been named the National Hockey League’s first star of the week. On Monday, Matthews received the honour after registering seven goals and five assists for 12 points in four games from February 15 to 21, 2021.
Matthews began the week with two goals and one assist for three points in a 6-5 Maple Leafs overtime loss to the Ottawa Senators on February 15. He then had one goal in a 2-1 Maple Leafs win over the Senators on February 17, two goals and two assists for four points in a 7-3 Maple Leafs win over the Senators on February 18, and two goals and two assists for four points in a 5-3 Maple Leafs win over the Montreal Canadiens on February 20.
In addition to the 12 points, Matthews was a +2 this past week, with six power-play points, one game-winning goal, 15 shots on goal, one hit, three blocked shots, and 37 faceoff wins. Matthews’s game-winning goal came from Morgan Rielly of Vancouver, British Columbia, and Mitch Marner of Markham, Ontario, in the Maple Leafs’ two-goal win over the Canadiens this past Saturday night.
On the season, Matthews has had a stellar season for Toronto so far to date, and is becoming one of the game’s prolific superstars. He has 18 goals and 11 assists for 29 points in 19 games. He is a +8 with two penalty minutes, nine power play points, six game-winning goals, 78 shots on goal, 174 faceoff wins, 20 blocked shots, 23 hits, 18 takeaways, and 15 giveaways. Matthews also currently leads the NHL with 18 goals, 11 even-strength goals, six game-winning goals, and is tied for the most power-play goals in the NHL with seven. Matthews is tied with Dallas Stars center Joe Pavelski of Plover, WI.
The Maple Leafs are also the best team in the NHL. With a record of 14 wins, four regulation losses, and two losses in extra time for 30 points, they have four more points than the second-place Florida Panthers.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
