Auston Matthews becomes ninth player with multiple 60 goals in a season

Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews of San Ramon, California achieved a significant accolade on Saturday as he became the ninth player in National Hockey League history to score 60 goals in a season on multiple occasions. He scored his 60th goal on Saturday in a 3-0 Maple Leafs win over the Buffalo Sabres at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York.

How and When did Matthews score his 60th goal?

Matthews’s goal against the Sabres was even strength. It came with five minutes and 37 seconds left int the third period from defenseman Conor Timmins of St. Catharines, Ontario to close out the scoring. With 10 games left in the 2023-24 National Hockey League regular season, Matthews is on pace for 68 goals this season. That would be eight goals more than his previous high of 60 goals he scored during the 2021-22 NHL regular season.

Who are the other eight players with multiple 60 goal seasons?

The other eight players with multiple 60 goal seasons were New York Islanders right winger Mike Bossy of Montreal. Quebec (69 goals in 1978-79, 68 goals in 1980-81, 64 goals in 1981-82, 60 goals in 1982-83, and 61 goals in 1985-86), Edmonton Oilers center Wayne Gretzky of Brantford, Ontario (92 goals in 1981-82, 71 goals in 1982-83, 87 goals in 1983-84, 73 goals in 1984-85, and 62 goals in 1986-87), Pittsburgh Penguins center Mario Lemieux of Montreal (70 goals in 1987-88, 85 goals in 1988-89, 69 goals in 1992-93, and 69 goals in 1905-96), Boston Bruins center Phil Esposito of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario (76 goals in 1970-71, 66 goals in 1971-72, 68 goals in 1973-74, and 61 goals in 1974-75), St. Louis Blues right winger Brett Hull (72 goals in 1989-90. 86 goals in 1990-91, and 70 goals in 1991-92), Vancouver Canucks right winger Pavel Bure of Moscow, Russia (60 goals in 1992-93 and 1993-94), Oilers right winger Jari Kurri of Helsinki, Finland (71 goals in 1984-85, and 68 goals in 1985-86), and Detroit Red Wings center Steve Yzerman of Cranbrook, British Columbia (65 goals in 1988-89 and 62 goals in 1989-90).

Matthews in 2023-24

Matthews not only leads the NHL in goals this season with 60, but even strength goals too with 45. Matthews also has 35 assists, 95 points, and is a +29 with eight game-winning goals, one shorthanded point, 320 shots on goal, 633 faceoff wins, 85 blocked shots, 78 hits, 76 takeaways, and 51 giveaways. The shorthanded point was a shorthanded assist on a goal by William Nylander in a 4-1 Maple Leafs win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on December 23.