Matthews' 60th helps Maple Leafs top Red Wings, clinch second in Atlantic

TORONTO -- Auston Matthews scored twice to reach 60 goals and the Toronto Maple Leafs clinched second in the Atlantic Division and home ice for the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a 3-0 win against the Detroit Red Wings at Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday.

Matthews became the first U.S.-born player to score 60 goals in a season and the first to do so in the NHL since 2011-12 when Steven Stamkos scored 60 for the Tampa Bay Lightning. The only other active player to have scored 60 in a season is Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals, who had 65 in 2007-08.
"It's humbling," Matthews said. "It's a big honor just to be in the same breath as those two guys (Stamkos and Ovechkin) and what they've been able to accomplish in their careers. I'm still striving to kind of be on that level still so there's a lot of work to be done but it's a big honor just to be in the same sentence as them."

Jack Campbell made 20 saves for his fifth shutout of the season and William Nylander had two assists for the Maple Leafs (53-21-7), who are 6-1-1 in their past eight games.
"That (home ice advantage), I'm excited about," Toronto coach Sheldon Keefe said. "To start the playoffs and have fans on our side, you could see it tonight just how excited they are for our team. No matter who it is, it's going to be an absolute battle and we're going to need that edge. To start that way, it gives us an opportunity to play in front of our fans, we were in control of the situation and we took care of it today. I'm happy for our guys that way. We have one game left to play but obviously we are very much focused on what's coming, whoever it is."
Alex Nedeljkovic made 33 saves for the Red Wings (31-40-10), who are eliminated from playoff contention.
"They had looks earlier in the game but I thought we did a pretty good job of keeping them to the outside," Red Wings forward Sam Gagner said. "'Ned' played great, gave us a chance. That's certainly a tough one to give up."
"If you scored 60, you're finding ways to get it done no matter who you are matching up against. [Matthews is] a really special talent, one of the top players in the League, certainly probably the top goal-scorer. He's going to get his looks and you just try to limit him and keep him to the outside as much as you can. Ultimately he found a way to break through tonight."
Matthews put the Maple Leafs up 1-0 at 15:48 of the second period when he took a pass from Jason Spezza in the slot and backhanded a shot past Nedeljkovic's outstretched glove. The goal ended a five-game drought, which was his longest of the season.
"We put ourselves in position going into the third period to win a hockey game," Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. "We would have preferred it to be 0-0, we would have preferred for us to have the lead but it's 1-0 and certainly the game is there to be had. We just weren't able to make the play to score the next goal and unfortunately they got it."

John Tavares made it 2-0 at 4:03 of the third period when he redirected a pass from Nylander at the top of the goal crease.
Matthews made it 3-0 at 5:49 when he shot past Nedeljkovic's glove from the slot on the power play. His 60 goals lead the NHL.
"Pretty unreal," Toronto captain John Tavares said. "Obviously a tremendous amount of love from the fans and a great way to do it, a beautiful goal. A pretty textbook Auston Matthews snapper. We're extremely proud of him, obviously really happy he's on our side. It's a tremendous accomplishment, he should be very proud. You just see the determination and his drive, not to score goals but to lead the way and help us win hockey games.
"It was a great job, a big win and a great way to do it. He's obviously hit some milestones here, been really cool for him to do it at home and I think for everyone to enjoy the atmosphere and embrace it, it's been really good for our fan base."
NOTES: Maple Leafs defenseman Jake Muzzin had two shots in 20:38 in his return to the lineup after missing six games with an undisclosed injury. ... The Maple Leafs won their 30th home game, setting their record.