Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews Speak Out After Hitting Major Milestones vs. Sabres
It was a historic night for both Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner against the Sabres, and both have finally given their thoughts after an incredible game.
Coming into the final road game of the season, the Toronto Maple Leafs were looking to clinch the Atlantic Division and ensure themselves a Battle of Ontario first round, but were also on the edge of some pretty big milestones.
They ended up reaching those milestones too. Winning a team-record 25 wins on the road this season wasn't just enough for the team, and their two superstar forwards decided to make some history as well.
First off, it was Mitch Marner scoring his 27th goal of the season, which in turn gave him the illustrious 100th point and finally got that monkey off his back, and giving him a wealth of confidence heading into the playoffs.
Then you had Auston Matthews joining in on the fun with his 400th career goal, leaving him only 21 goals behind Mats Sundin for the franchise lead.
Certainly a historic evening to say the least, and now that all the craziness has subsided, we know at lest how both men feel about their accomplishments.
Marner was very grateful to his teammates for helping him hit the magical number:
It's a special thing, for sure. Those accomplishments don't happen by yourself. Credit to a lot of guys in that locker room ... the really cool thing is the excitement from the guys for that point and seeing their excitement for me.
Marner also wasn't shy about acknowledging that while he hit the 100-point mark, he couldn't have really done it without Matthews; or his 400th goal in mind:
I knew his next goal was 400. We get a 2-on-1, and I didn't even think about shooting that puck.
Tried to get it over to him. He got a quick shot off. It almost went in. And what an unbelievable pass from him to hit me back door. Lucky enough, was able to finish it off.
Tried to get it over to him. He got a quick shot off. It almost went in. And what an unbelievable pass from him to hit me back door. Lucky enough, was able to finish it off.
Matthews was humble upon reaching the milestone, but was sure to give Marner his flowers after so many assists:
It means a lot. (Marner) has definitely set up quite a few of those. In the end, it's a team accomplishment, I think. It's a team sport. There's a lot that goes into it. And just fortunate that it's come off my stick a couple times.
Matthews pushed his point total to 77 points in 66 games (32G, 45A) and while his goal-scoring output has dropped off hard, he's still bringing a ton of offense and playmaking instead; as well as a new role on defense.
Marner has now triple digits on the year (100 points; 27G, 73A) and with one game to go, might push that total even higher though the Maple Leafs may want to take it easy with him ahead of the playoffs.
The last few weeks have been nothing but great for the Maple Leafs as the team rides into the Battle of Ontario with a huge wave of momentum.
Let's just hope that this is just the beginning of something even more historic to come.
| POLL | ||
AVRIL 16 | 477 ANSWERS Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews Speak Out After Hitting Major Milestones vs. Sabres Are Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews the greatest duo in Maple Leafs history? | ||
| Yes | 342 | 71.7 % |
| No | 135 | 28.3 % |
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