Maple Leafs’ Matthews closes in on cap-era record set by ex-Sharks winger

Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews is closing in on a salary cap-era record set by a former San Jose Sharks winger.

Matthews recorded his fourth hat-trick of the season Thursday night as the Maple Leafs beat the Calgary Flames 4-3 at the Scotiabank Saddledome, giving the San Ramon native a league-high 37 goals on the season in just 43 games.

With the Leafs trailing 2-0, Matthews scored at the 4:08 mark of the first period, off an assist from ex-Shark Noah Gregor, then added two more in the second period to help the Leafs snap a four-game losing streak.

For Matthews, it was his 11th career hat trick, matching Joe Mullen, John LeClair and Kevin Stevens for the second-most hat tricks by a U.S.-born player in NHL history behind only Pat LaFontaine (13).

“When he’s scoring, the team can relax because now you’re scoring goals, you’re feeling good and in this case tonight, we’re coming back and building a lead,” Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said of Matthews. “So it helps everybody relax. That’s what elite players do.

“We’re very fortunate to have him as part of our group.”

With one more hat trick this season, Matthews will tie Jonathan Cheechoo’s salary cap-era record of five, set during the 2005-2006 season. Cheechoo had 56 goals that season – still a Sharks single-season record — to win the Rocket Richard Trophy as the NHL’s top goal-scorer.

Not surprisingly, all five of Cheechoo’s hat tricks that season came after the Sharks acquired Joe Thornton from the Boston Bruins on Nov. 30, 2005. Three of Cheechoo’s hat tricks came against the then-named Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, with others coming against the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Los Angeles Kings.

Also, all eight of Cheechoo’s two-goal games that season came after the trade.

The NHL’s overall record for hat-tricks in a season is 10, set twice by Wayne Gretzky, first in 1981-82 and then in 1983-84.

The NHL first implemented a salary cap before the 2005-06 season. Following a bitter 301-day lockout that wiped out all of 2004-05, the league and the NHL Players’ Association finally came to terms on a collective bargaining agreement that tied the salary cap to hockey-related revenue.

The first cap in 2005-06 was $39 million and the present cap is $83.5 million.

The Maple Leafs’ next game is in Vancouver on Saturday night.

Boston’s David Pastrnak and Washington’s T.J. Oshie also recorded hat-tricks Thursday, as the Bruins beat the Colorado Avalanche and the Capitals beat St. Louis by 5-2 scores.