Auston Matthews did it again.

On Thursday, I explained how one of my buddies had bet on Matthews to win the Hart Trophy and made a fairly simple yet convincing case that it was excellent value.

Later that night, Matthews delivered again, scoring two goals in a 7-3 win over the Ottawa Senators.

Matthews entered the season at +1400 to win the Hart – the fifth shortest odds on the board behind Connor McDavid (+550), Nathan MacKinnon (+600), Artemi Panarin (+1000) and Leon Draisaitl (+1200).

Fast-forward just over a month later and with 16 goals in his first 17 games, Matthews has proven that he deserves to be in the early Hart conversation.

Can he maintain his current pace throughout the full season?

All of a sudden, 50-plus goals in 55 games seems very reasonable.

Here is the Morning Coffee for Friday Feb. 19, 2021.

Matthews Delivers Again

Matthews registered two goals and two assists as Toronto (-290) beat the Senators 7-3 in the rubber match of a three-game set.

Mitch Marner had four points. Joe Thornton had a goal and two assists. 

With their top line clicking, the Maple Leafs were able to win convincingly despite all of the jokes on social media after they took a 5-1 lead.

While there is still a lot of hockey left to play, the level of consistency Matthews has brought to the table early on this season has been remarkable to watch.

It’s at the point where at least one sportsbook had him at -150 to score a goal on Thursday night, while every other player on the ice was available at plus-money. 

Matthews has registered at least a point in each of his past 15 games while averaging almost a goal per game.

The sample size from is big enough that I’m already convinced Toronto should win the North Division.

Apparently, the oddsmakers agree.

The Maple Leafs opened as the +120 favourite to win the North Division. As of Friday morning, Toronto is -160 to win the division.

Raptors Upset Bucks Again

For the second time this week, the Toronto Raptors upset the Milwaukee Bucks.

This time, Norm Powell led the way with a game-high 29 points as Toronto (+255) pulled away with a 110-96 win. Pascal Siakam chipped in 27.

Kyle Lowry didn’t play as he continues to deal with an ankle injury and a sprained left thumb.

The Raptors improved to 5-1 against the spread in their past six games against opponents with winning records.

Meanwhile, after back-to-back losses to Toronto the Bucks have now dropped five in a row.

Milwaukee is now three games back of the Philadelphia 76ers for the best record in the Eastern Conference and one game back of the surging Brooklyn Nets for second place.

The good news for the Bucks is that they won’t have to play the Raptors again until some point in the second half of the season. The league hasn’t announced that part of the schedule yet.

Toronto is back in action tonight against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Raptors are currently a -3.5 favourite on the road for their second game in as many nights.

Wentz Traded To Indianapolis

The Philadelphia Eagles finally pulled the trigger on a trade that sent quarterback Carson Wentz to the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for a third-round pick in this year’s NFL Draft and a conditional 2022 second-round pick that could turn into a first.

Wentz will be reunited with former Eagles offensive coordinator Frank Reich, who is now the head coach in Indianapolis.

Reich obviously feels confident that he can maximize Wentz’s potential the way he did in Philadelphia, hence the decision to bring him in to replace Philip Rivers, who retired after last season.

Wentz will also work with a pair of familiar faces in Colts’ quarterbacks coach Scott Milanovich and offensive coordinator Marcus Brady.

Laura Diakun took a closer look at how the Wentz trade impacted the NFL futures market.