Auston Matthews and David Pastrnak take center stage when the Toronto Maple Leafs visit the Boston Bruins at TD Garden on Thursday (7:30 p.m. ET; HULU, ESPN+, SNO, TVAS) in a nationally televised showdown.
Matthews, a center, leads the Maple Leafs (5-3-1) in goals and has 10 points (seven goals, three assists) in nine games. Pastrnak, a forward, tops the Bruins (8-0-1) with eight goals and 14 points.
Toronto is looking to make up ground, already six points behind Boston, which leads the Atlantic Division and has yet to lose in regulation through its first nine games.
There are other stars on the ice and the stakes are already high early in the season, but the main storyline could very well be Matthews vs. Pastrnak. Each is an elite goal-scorer.
Pastrnak won the battle last season, scoring 61 goals in 82 games, second in the NHL behind Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid (64). Matthews had 40 in 74 games.
Traditionally, though, the race between these two elite players is much closer.
Since Matthews entered the League in 2016-17, after being selected No. 1 by the Maple Leafs in the 2016 NHL Draft, he has 306 goals in 490 regular-season games, the most by any player in that stretch. Pastrnak, selected No. 25 by the Bruins in the 2014 NHL Draft, has 284 goals in 504 regular-season games, fifth-best behind Matthews, Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals (299), McDavid and Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl (each has 289).
So, which player -- Matthews or Pastrnak -- will score more goals this season? We asked six NHL.com writers for their opinion.
Matthews: Pastrnak has the early lead with eight goals in nine games; Matthews has seven in nine. And this is after Pastrnak had 61 goals, while Matthews had 40. But I’m going with Matthews. Since Matthews entered the NHL in 2016-17, he leads the NHL in goals per game (0.62) among players who have played more than one game. Ovechkin is next (0.58), followed by Pastrnak (0.56). Since 2020-21, the gap has grown. Matthews leads the NHL in goals per game (0.71) among players who have played more than one game. McDavid is next (0.64), followed by Draisaitl (0.63). Pastrnak is next (0.61). If they play around the same number of games, Matthews should score more goals. -- Nicholas J. Cotsonika, columnist