Patrik Laine was phenomenal. Auston Matthews was a little bit better - and a little bit luckier.
Matthews was held scoreless in a very costly final-game loss for the Toronto Maple Leafs, but there's no taking away from his spectacular rookie season. He finishes with a rookie-best 40 goals - four more than Laine and tied for second-most in the NHL - and 29 assists. Matthews' 69 points were tops among all freshman, and he's only 19 years old.
Laine played 73 games for the Winnipeg Jets to Matthews' 82, as the American was able to stay healthy all season. Laine's 0.88 points-points-per game average ends up slightly higher than Matthews' 0.84.
Here are the top rookie scorers, with Matthews surrounded by his teammates.
| Rank | Rookie | Team | GP | Goals | Assists | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Matthews | Leafs | 82 | 40 | 29 | 69 |
| 2 | Laine | Jets | 73 | 36 | 28 | 64 |
| 3 | Mitch Marner | Leafs | 77 | 19 | 42 | 61 |
| 4 | William Nylander | Leafs | 81 | 22 | 39 | 61 |
| 5 | Sebastian Aho | Hurricanes | 81 | 23 | 25 | 48 |
| 6 | Matthew Tkachuk | Flames | 76 | 13 | 35 | 48 |
| 7 | Zach Werenski | Blue Jackets | 78 | 11 | 36 | 47 |
| 8 | Brayden Point | Lightning | 68 | 18 | 22 | 40 |
| 9 | Brady Skjei | Rangers | 79 | 5 | 34 | 39 |
| 10 | Mikko Rantanen | Avalanche | 75 | 20 | 19 | 39 |
| 11 | Connor Brown | Leafs | 82 | 20 | 16 | 36 |
| 12 | Nikita Zaitsev | Leafs | 82 | 4 | 32 | 36 |
| 13 | Anthony Mantha | Wings | 60 | 17 | 19 | 36 |
*Some player stats are not updated to include Sunday's action
Matthews set Maple Leafs records for goals and points, wowing on a regular basis under the microscope in Toronto. Only Sidney Crosby scored more goals. Matthews is also the only player to record a shot on goal in each of the 82 games he played in. Fair to say his first overall selection was justified.
And with Toronto securing a surprise playoff berth, its first in a full season since 2004, Matthews is the favorite to win the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year. But there isn't much between Matthews and Laine, and the Finnish sniper winning the Calder shouldn't come as a surprise, if it does end up happening. In the end, they're both deserving.
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