Tampa Bay Lightning forward Pat Maroon wasn't impressed that referees assessed him and Toronto Maple Leafs enforcer Wayne Simmonds with 10-minute misconducts in Monday's contest.

Officials dinged the two veterans while they jawed at each other early in the first period:

Maroon questioned the call following Toronto's 6-2 win.

"This game is going the wrong way," Maroon said, according to The Athletic's Joe Smith. "I guess you can't chirp each other on the bench now. I guess that is illegal. I guess it is better to watch 1980s hockey when guys are chirping each other, but I don't know why they (referees) did that."

The officials seemed to be attempting to nullify a potential fight between Maroon and Simmonds. Neither player engaged in any altercations together after the misconducts.

Maroon has dropped the gloves for nine fights this season, while Simmonds has participated in four bouts, according to hockeyfights.com.

Simmonds was given a misconduct last week against the Winnipeg Jets after he and Adam Lowry looked to be discussing a potential fight during a faceoff late in the third period.

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Toronto Maple Leafs superstar Auston Matthews is looking to become the first player in a decade to score 60 goals in a season, but Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper thinks the sniper could reach even greater heights.

"I wouldn't be surprised if some time in his career he gets 70. That's how good of a scorer he is," Cooper told reporters ahead of Monday's Atlantic Division clash between the Leafs and Lightning, per TSN.

Matthews leads the league with 51 goals this season and is currently on pace for 62 tallies, despite missing five contests due to injury. He's playing at a 66-goal pace over 82 games.

No player has reached the 70-goal plateau since Alexander Mogilny and Teemu Selanne each scored 76 in 1992-93.

Cooper, who coached Matthews as an assistant with Team North America at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, is impressed with the variety of ways the 24-year-old can light the lamp.

"Auston is probably the best in the league at changing his angle at a high rate of speed. So he is just not a traditional 'here it's on my stick, I'm going to shoot it,'" Cooper explained. "He shoots it from his ankles, he shoots it out wide, and it's just the release and the velocity is big time."

Lightning captain Steven Stamkos knows what it's like to chase the 60-goal milestone, as he's the last player to accomplish the feat in 2011-12.

"I did not want to finish at 59, that's for sure," Stamkos told reporters, reflecting on his 60-goal year. "People are like, 'Oh, it doesn't matter.' Well, 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."

However, Stamkos said his 60-goal pursuit is different from Matthews'.

"It's a little different situation," he said. "We weren't as good of a team as Toronto is at that time, so it was something that the guys were really going out of their way to do, but it was special getting the 60th."

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With some teams having completed as much as 87% of their schedules, we are in the home stretch of the NHL regular season.

A handful of players still have a chance at the Hart Trophy, but it's realistically a two-horse race. Let's take a closer look at each candidate's chances and determine who you should back to claim the hardware.

We'll start with Auston Matthews, who's emerged as an ever-so-slight favorite to win his first Hart Trophy. It's not hard to see why.

Matthews has piled up a league-leading 51 goals through 63 games, which is a ridiculous 66-goal pace over 82 games. His rate of production would put him at 114 points over a full schedule.

While Matthews lags behind Connor McDavid in points, the Toronto Maple Leafs star is superior in several areas - the obvious one being goal-scoring. McDavid is 11 behind Matthews despite having played six more contests.

Both players are electric offensive producers, so what really separates Matthews is defensive impact.

McDavid has improved defensively compared to a few years ago. His numbers remain a tier below Matthews', though. The Edmonton Oilers allow about two fewer shot attempts and 0.08 fewer expected goals per 60 minutes with McDavid on the ice. Those are solid numbers - especially for the league's most dynamic player - but they don't really move the needle. They're essentially the same team defensively with or without McDavid on the ice.

It's a much different story for Matthews and the Maple Leafs: They concede 7.19 fewer attempts and 0.35 fewer expected goals per 60 minutes with Matthews on the ice.

In simpler terms, the Leafs give up around 54 attempts and 2.40 expected goals per 60 without Matthews on the ice. When he's out there, those numbers dip to 47 shot attempts and 2.05 xG. That moves the needle.

Both players are exceptional talents having exceptional seasons. While Matthews trails in overall production (124 point pace versus 114 point pace), he has a big edge in goals, his defensive impact is much more significant, and his team is 11 points ahead in the standings – despite playing in a division featuring powerhouses in the Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Boston Bruins.

It'll come down to the wire, but ultimately, I think the Hart is Matthews' to lose.

When it comes to the other players listed, I just don't see it happening. Igor Shesterkin has played in 46 games and owns a .902 save percentage over the last 10.

Johnny Gaudreau, while spectacular, lags well behind Matthews in goals and McDavid in points.

Jonathan Huberdeau skates on his team's second line, is not a plus defender at five-on-five, and has an offensive zone start percentage above 80. Put another way, he plays supremely cushy minutes. That doesn't add up to a good case.

This is down to Matthews and McDavid. I like the former to pull through at +175.

Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.

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We have just four games on the docket for Monday night. Luckily, there's still value to be had.

Let's dive into a couple of my favorite plays as we look to get the week started on a high note.

Coyotes (+295) @ Blues (-375)

The Blues are coming off an impressive road victory over the Flames. They should have no problem picking up where they left off at home against the bottom-feeding Coyotes.

Arizona is playing absolutely dreadful hockey right now. Over the last 10 games, they've controlled just 38.42% of the expected goals and been out-chanced 285-192 at five-on-five. Opponents are walking all over them.

I expect the Blues to get an early jump in this game. They've been a potent first-period team this season, netting 63 goals thus far. That's more than the Hurricanes, Penguins, and Rangers, to name a few.

On the flip side, Arizona has routinely gotten off to disastrous starts. The Coyotes have conceded 69 goals in the opening frame; only four teams have allowed more.

Now they find themselves in the latter half of a road back-to-back against a good team, and they'll have Ivan Prosvetov between the pipes. He has posted a save percentage well below .900 in back-to-back AHL seasons. With numbers like that in the AHL, it's hard to imagine him finding success at the NHL level.

I expect the Blues to jump all over a bad, fatigued team by getting an early lead. Backing St. Louis to win the opening frame is where I see the most value.

Bet: Blues first period -0.5 (-115)

Maple Leafs (+115) @ Lightning (-140)

The Maple Leafs are in a very good spot heading into this game. They've won four consecutive contests - all by at least two goals - and beat up on stiff competition in that time, including the Bruins and Panthers.

The underlying numbers suggest their 7-3 run is well deserved. They've controlled 56.41% of the expected goals at five-on-five during this spell. That places them sixth in the NHL - ahead of the Penguins, Avalanche, and, yes, Lightning.

For all the talk about Toronto's "defensive issues," it's the defensive play that's been most impressive. The Leafs have given up just 2.22 expected goals per 60 over the last 10 games, good for third place.

If their goaltending had been a little better, we're likely talking about a team that has won eight or nine of the last 10 - and deservedly so.

Given the way Toronto is dominating at full strength and the fact that Tampa Bay is playing its third game in four nights, I think the Leafs will win the five-on-five play.

While goaltending is the great equalizer, and the Lightning certainly have the better starter, it's worth noting Andrei Vasilevskiy has struggled a bit over the last couple of months.

He has appeared in 16 of Tampa Bay's last 20 games, posting a .911 save percentage overall and .793 versus high-danger shots. The former ties him with Martin Jones, while the latter matches Craig Anderson. Not what you'd expect.

Vasilevskiy is absolutely capable of stealing games on any given night, but his recent play makes me skeptical he'll do so against a scorching hot Maple Leafs side.

Bet: Maple Leafs (+115)

Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.

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New Jersey Devils forward Jack Hughes exited Sunday's 4-3 loss to the New York Islanders after taking a big hit from forward Oliver Wahlstrom and was unable to return for the third period.

There was no update on Hughes' status after the game, according to team beat reporter Amanda Stein.

Wahlstrom laid out Hughes in the Islanders' zone during the second frame. He appeared to extend his knee and Hughes' leg seemed to take the brunt of the impact. The young star left the ice with the help of a trainer.

Hughes returned soon after and played a shift but appeared to struggle to put weight on his leg. He ultimately exited the game again.

Here's a closer look at the hit:

Devils defenseman P.K. Subban took exception to the hit and was ejected from the contest after dropping the gloves with Wahlstrom.

The veteran blue-liner received two minutes for instigating, five minutes for fighting, a 10-minute misconduct, and a game misconduct for his actions, per Stein.

Hughes is in the midst of a breakout season and has put up 26 goals and 30 assists in 49 games, both career highs.

The 20-year-old missed 17 games after dislocating his shoulder in October. He was also sidelined for an additional three contests due to COVID-19 protocol in February after participating in the 2022 All-Star Game.

New Jersey was also missing forward Nathan Bastian, who appeared to be in some discomfort after blocking a shot in the first period, per NHL.com's Mike Morreale.

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Jean-Gabriel Pageau had a Sunday afternoon to remember against the New Jersey Devils.

The veteran New York Islanders forward scored three consecutive goals in the opening 25 minutes and capped his performance with one of the smoothest celebrations you'll ever see.

Here's a look at his third tally of the afternoon:

And now the real highlight of the game from a pair of angles:

Pageau entered Sunday's clash with 29 points in 65 contests this season.

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The Florida Panthers are heading to the postseason.

They became the first team to clinch a playoff berth this season after they defeated the Buffalo Sabres 5-3 on Sunday afternoon. The win also marked the club's 48th victory of the year, establishing a new franchise record.

This will be Florida's third straight postseason appearance - the longest streak in franchise history.

Jonathan Huberdeau recorded his 97th point of the season in the contest, which propelled him past Aleksander Barkov's single-season franchise points record from 2018-19.

The Panthers sit first place in the Atlantic Division with a 48-15-6 record, the second-best overall mark in the league.

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