Why does Matthews score so many goals?

It's not just his shooting technique

Here’s an interesting stat courtesy of NaturalStatTrick.com:

Two Toronto Maple Leafs players account for 38% of all scoring chances (iSCF) generated by the team during the 2023-24 season so far.

Scoring is Power Law. John Tavares and Auston Matthews illustrate how top players tend to disproportionally drive a team’s offense.

Here’s another interesting stat:

Despite holding a relatively narrow 166-136 lead in individual scoring chances, Matthews is out-scoring Tavares by a wide 25-9 margin.

The simple explanation is that Matthews has a better shot than Tavares. But having shared the ice with both players during my years in the Leafs organization, there is more to it than that.

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Here’s what you’ll need to score lots of goals: