With Matthews in town, Stamkos warns road to 60 is stressful

SPORTSCENTRE Reporter

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The Tampa Bay Lightning and Toronto Maple Leafs (optional) skated at Amalie Arena on Monday. 

Steven Stamkos potted 10 goals in the final nine games of the 2011-12 season, which allowed him to reach the 60-goal milestone. 

"I did not want to finish at 59, that's for sure," the Tampa Bay Lightning captain recalled with a smile. "People are like, 'It doesn't matter, it's a goal,' but it matters when you get to that number. I mean, 49 or 59, that would haunt you, I think, if you got stuck at that number. Yeah, I was pressing. It certainly gave me something to shoot for down the stretch."

Auston Matthews is up to 51 goals this season with 14 games left as he aims to become the first NHL player to reach 60 since Stamkos. 

"A little different situation," Stamkos pointed out. "We weren't as good of a team at that time as Toronto is, so it was something where the guys were really going out of their way to [help me]. It was special getting the 60th."

The Lightning missed the playoffs in 2011-12, so the Stamkos surge was a rallying point. The Markham, Ont. native scored his 60th goal in the final period of the season and received a standing ovation from the fans in Winnipeg. The current version of the Leafs, meanwhile, has championship aspirations. Matthews has been a driving force behind Toronto's success. He has scored an eye-popping 44 goals in the past 46 games. 

Auston Matthews is the first NHL player to put up 44 goals in a 46 game stretch since Mario Lemieux in 1995-96, per @esbbob.

"When you have that arsenal of weapons he has, and the way shoots, I wouldn't be surprised if some time in his career he gets 70," said Lightning coach Jon Cooper. "That's how good of a scorer he is."

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