Matthews scores 2 more as Maple Leafs down Canadiens to clinch playoff spot

Auston Matthews scored his league-leading 57th and 58th goals of the season 27 seconds apart in the first period as the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Montreal Canadiens 3-2 on Saturday.

The sniper's opener marked his 50th goal in his last 50 games, making him the first player to accomplish the feat since Mario Lemieux in 1995-96.

John Tavares also scored for Toronto (47-19-6), which secured a playoff spot for the sixth straight straight season and hit 100 points in the standings. Erik Kallgren made 24 saves.

Cole Caufield and Joel Edmundson replied for Montreal (20-41-11). Jake Allen stopped the first 14 shots he faced before leaving with an apparent leg injury as he stretched in vain for Matthews' first of the night. Sam Montembeault made 23 stops the rest of the way.

Matthews set Toronto's single-season record for goals when he scored for the 55th and 56th time in 2021-22 in Thursday's 4-3 overtime victory in Dallas.

Rick Vaive, who held the franchise mark of 54 goals in a campaign for 40 years, was on hand at Scotiabank Arena earlier Saturday to personally congratulate the 24-year-old on his accomplishment before becoming the first NHLer in 26 years to bag 50 in 50.

Matthews is now on pace for 67 goals in his 77-game season — he missed three contests with a wrist injury to start the schedule and two via suspension last month — and could become the first player to score 65 since Alex Ovechkin in 2007-08.

Steven Stamkos was the last NHLer to get to 60 goals when he reached the milestone in 2011-12.

Like a magnet