Auston Matthews on track for 67 goals, the NHL's most in a season in nearly 30 years

Max Domi lined up for a faceoff in Washington, looked over at Alex Ovechkin and thought, "Wow, that's going to be the greatest goal-scorer of all time."

Then he looked over at Auston Matthews and realized his Toronto teammate could be in that discussion too.

That came in the middle of another two-goal game by Matthews, who has scored an NHL-leading 58 this season. Scoring 70 would require a goal-a-game tear down the stretch, which isn't out of the realm of possibility by any means, but the U.S.-born centre is on pace for 67, which would be the most in the NHL in nearly 30 years.

Pittsburgh's Mario Lemieux, who was later part of the Penguins ownership group, had 69 in the 1995-96 campaign.

"We've got more stuff to worry about in our locker room as far as trying to build our game toward the end of the season and stuff," Matthews said. "The individual stuff, obviously you want to accomplish stuff. You want to push yourself to be as great as you can. That's what I try to do every night.

"I'm just going to continue to push and try to elevate my game towards the stretch and do what I can to help the team win."

Ovechkin owns the single-season record for goals in the salary cap era, which began in 2005, when he scored 65 in 2007-08. That was after rule changes opened the game, increased power plays and showcased a generation of talent led by the Capitals winger and Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby.

Matthews, Edmonton's Connor McDavid and Colorado's Nathan MacKinnon have succeeded Ovechkin and Crosby in those starring roles. Matthews (two seasons ago) and McDavid (three times) have already won the Hart Trophy as MVP, and MacKinnon is among the leading candidates for it this year.

Ovechkin, who at 848 goals is 47 away from breaking