Morning Coffee: As Matthews clears the 50-goal mark, is 70 a lock?

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I often like to sit and think about athletes and inevitability. 

Sometimes, you watch a sporting event, and something just feels inevitable. 

Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady in the fourth quarter. Inevitable. 

Rafael Nadal on clay, Serena Williams… on any surface. Inevitable. 

Michael Phelps in the pool. Usain Bolt on the track. Inevitable

Xander Scheffulle sniffing contention on a Sunday and ejecting. Inevitable. 

The more we watch, the more clear things can seem. 

This is why when Auston Matthews and the Toronto Maple Leafs dropped the puck in Arizona Wednesday night, it wasn’t a question for me whether Matthews would score. It was simply about how many. 

It just felt inevitable. 

The American would go on to score his 50th and 51st goals of the year last night, cashing his anytime goal prop at -135. At that price, Matthews went off as the 8th shortest price this season to score a goal. 

I guess the traders at FanDuel could sense the inevitable feeling as well. 

Let’s dive into how last night affected some NHL markets. 

By the way, if you’re wondering where Domenic Padula, the usual author of this column, is. Have no fear. Our fearless leader has taken a much-deserved vacation and will be back next week. 

For now, the slow cooker is rocking, there are a few beverages in the fridge, and Dom told me to make myself feel like I’m at home. His final instructions were, “Just don’t mortgage the house on any golf bets.” 

This is the Morning Coffee for Wednesday, Feb. 21.

Things move fast in the world of sports betting. 

Just yesterday afternoon, I highlighted some special Matthews markets on FanDuel. 

Matthews 70+ goals (+170) and Matthews to score 60 goals in 60 games (100-1). 

Since then, Matthews scored