State Your Case: Matthews' chance at 66 goals with Maple Leafs

Auston Matthews is having another season for the ages.

The Toronto Maple Leafs center has 59 goals with 10 games remaining. Scoring 60 is a virtual lock. Scoring 70 is possible, but may be a bridge too far.

Heading into the Maple Leafs' game at the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; HULU, ESPN+, SNP, SNO, CBC), Matthews is on pace to score 67, the most goals in a season since Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin had 65 in 2007-08.

Will he do it? Can Matthews score at least 66 goals this season? That's the question we asked NHL.com staff writers Derek Van Diest and Tracey Myers in this edition of State Your Case:

Van Diest: Matthews is a pure goal-scorer, similar to Mike Bossy, Brett Hull, Teemu Selanne and Jari Kurri, among other greats. There is little doubt he's eyeing Ovechkin's record, and I think he gets there. He's averaging 0.83 goals per game this season and at that rate would finish with 67 goals. Motivating Matthews will be the opportunity to win his third Rocket Richard Trophy as the top goal-scorer in the NHL. He will likely win it anyway, but 66 would be a special number considering Edmonton Oilers cn center Connor McDavid won the Richard Trophy with 64 goals last season. Though playing on opposite sides of the continent, the rivalry between the two No. 1 picks in the NHL Draft does exist, and they have been trying to one-up each other since arriving in the League. With six hat tricks already this season, it wouldn't be all surprising if it only takes two games for Matthews to get six goals and reach 65. If he gets there, Matthews should warrant consideration for his second Hart Trophy as NHL MVP.

Myers: There's no doubt Matthews is a tremendous goal-scorer. We've known it for years, but he's taking it to another level this season. And yet, something's nagging at me regarding his reaching 66 goals. Matthews really hasn't had a slump of any kind so far this season. Neither has Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon, but my point is it's been a heck of a pace and I wonder if he can keep it up over the final 10 games. Matthews' longest goalless drought this season is four games, which happened twice. That's incredible and it's a testament to how great he's been. I could very well be wrong here (I usually am) and seven goals over 10 games is certainly in his wheelhouse. I just don't think he'll get to 66.

Van Diest: I understand your point, Tracey. Goals are harder to score toward the end of the season when more is on the line with teams battling for Stanley Cup Playoff spots. Yet, Matthews has been playing against opponents' top checking lines all season and has been consistently scoring. I don't see any reason for his production to slow down at this point. I also believe his teammates will have a lot to do with him getting over the 65-goal mark. I'm sure they all want to see Matthews get past it and will be looking for him at every opportunity. Matthews is an outstanding finisher but does need someone to feed him the puck. That's where William Nylander, Mitch Marner, John Tavares and Morgan Rielly come in. Hockey is a team game after all and I'm sure they will celebrate Matthews' success as a team achievement.

Myers: Listen, I hope he gets there. I love watching records fall, and different players taking over milestones set by others. I also wonder how much tighter other teams play him down the stretch. As you said, he's been doing this against top checking lines but now we're getting to the nitty gritty of the Stanley Cup Playoff race and teams are going to be checking even tighter. The Maple Leafs are in a bit of a tussle, trying to hold onto third in the Atlantic with the Tampa Bay Lighting close behind them. The Maple Leafs play the Lightning two more times. Same with the Florida Panthers. The Detroit Red Wings and New Jersey Devils, still fighting for playoff spots, are also on the schedule. How much more are those teams going to be trying to shut Matthews down to try and better their place in the standings? No team ever wants to be the one that gives up a record, right? I just think that's going to be a factor in Matthews coming up short as well.