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Auston Matthews' pursuit of 70 goals came up just short, as the Toronto Maple Leafs fell 6-4 to the Tampa Bay Lightning in their regular season finale on Wednesday.
The superstar center finishes the campaign with 69 tallies, matching Mario Lemieux's mark from 1995-96 for the most goals in a season in the last 27 years.
While the 24-year-old didn't light the lamp, his 12 shots and 0.55 expected goals in 21:03 ice time reflect his determination. He also got two penalty minutes and a -1 plus/minus rating.
Matthews was particularly aggressive in the first period, launching seven shots on target, but Matt Tomkins denied Matthews on each attempt.
In the second period, Matthews came tantalizingly close to No. 70. His first golden opportunity was thwarted by the skate of Lightning defenseman Emil Lilleberg. Later in the frame, Matthews rang a shot off the crossbar, the metallic ping echoing his frustration, as he was held without a shot in the period.
Auston Matthews continued to pour it on in the third, registering four more shots on the net. His best look came on the power play from the top of the circle, but Tomkins gloved his wrister to preserve the shutout against Matthews.
The Maple Leafs went all-in trying to get Matthews his milestone, even pulling goalie Martin Jones late for a 6-on-5 advantage. But it was captain John Tavares who scored, not Matthews, as Toronto eventually fell short.
Auston Matthews shares his thoughts on not reaching 70-goal milestone
Auston Matthews came up just short in his bid for 70 goals, finishing the season with 69 tallies after being held scoreless in the final two games.
While Matthews admitted about wanting to reach the milestone, he kept perspective on the team's overall success being the priority.
"I wanted it, for sure, but it just wasn't meant to be," Auston Matthews said after going scoreless against both Florida and Tampa Bay to end the campaign.
"The most important thing is the team and the team's success, making sure I'm pulling my weight as a leader on this team and help the team win. That's where my focus is at."
Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe praised Matthews' overall play down the stretch while in pursuit of history.
"He's played so tremendously well," Keefe remarked. "I know there's been a lot of focus on him reaching 70 goals; you kind of lose sight of how well he's played.”
“The way he's played these last two games -- give him those types of chances and those types of shots, and he could have had 75. It wasn't meant to be, and that's OK -- 69 is an unbelievable season."
For now, Matthews and the Maple Leafs are shifting focus to the playoffs, where they face the Boston Bruins in the first round starting on Saturday.
