"Goalscoring to me is more impressive"- Paul Bissonnette shares opinion on better NHL season in terms of goals and assists

Former NHL player Paul Bissonnette recently shared his thoughts on what he considers to be a more impressive feat in an NHL season: scoring 70 goals or recording 100 assists.

The discussion arose during Paul Bissonnette's conversation with Ryan Whitney on the Spittin' Chiclets podcast, as Toronto Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews approaches the 70-goal mark and Edmonton Oilers phenom Connor McDavid nears 100 assists.

According to Paul Bissonnette:

"Goalscoring to me is more impressive now. Just because of the advancement of how good goaltenders are."

However, he acknowledged that there is a strong case to be made for both achievements, noting that players like Bernie Nicholls, who scored 70 goals in a season, often benefited from playing alongside the legendary Wayne Gretzky.

Paul Bissonnette emphasized the importance of having a special player who can navigate through opponents and create scoring opportunities for their teammates, ultimately making them better players.

"You need somebody special, finding its way around guys and find those lanes and essentially feeding his players to make them better." Paul Bissonnette stated.

Matthews has been impressive this season, with 38 assists complementing his 66 goals for 104 points. Meanwhile, McDavid scored 31 goals and recorded 99 assists for 130 points.

Auston Matthews scores 66th goal as Maple Leafs beat Devils 5-2

The Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the New Jersey Devils 5-2 on Tuesday night behind Auston Matthews' 66th goal.

The game was even at 1-1 after the first period. Nico Hischier opened the scoring for New Jersey, splitting between two Leaf defenders and beating goalie Joseph Woll with a backhand. William Nylander answered for Toronto, banging home a rebound to tie it.

In the second, the Devils grabbed the lead on a Dawson Mercer power-play goal at 5:17. Mercer scored on a backhander just inside the left post with the man advantage. But Toronto roared back late in the period, getting two goals just nine seconds apart from Tyler Bertuzzi and Mark Giordano to take a 3-2 lead into the third.

Bertuzzi wristed a shot home from the bottom of the right circle at 15:00 to tie it before Giordano blasted a slap shot past Devils goalie Jake Allen at 15:09. The quick back-to-back goals stunned New Jersey.

In the third, Matthews delivered his 66th to give Toronto breathing room. He wristed a shot top shelf from the right circle at 7:33 to make it 4-2. Bertuzzi added an empty-netter at 18:47 to seal the 5-2 Maple Leafs victory.

Rookie goalie Joseph Woll made 18 saves to earn the win for Toronto. Allen stopped 32 shots but took the loss for New Jersey.

With the win, the Maple Leafs strengthened their hold on third place in the Atlantic Division. The loss mathematically eliminated the Devils from playoff contention this season.