Matthews favored to win Hart Trophy amid scoring surge

Auston Matthews took over as the Hart Trophy favorite following his recent scoring surge that helped the Maple Leafs rattle off seven straight wins.

Toronto's sniper is +185 (35.1% implied probability) at theScore Bet to be named the NHL's MVP thanks to his 52 goals in 57 games. He was held scoreless in his last two contests but potted 19 goals in his 15 games before that.

However, Matthews has some stiff competition to fend off if he's going to claim his second career Hart Trophy. Oddsmakers believe it's a four-horse race, with Nathan MacKinnon, Nikita Kucherov, and Connor McDavid also in contention.

On Feb. 1, MacKinnon was a -120 favorite to win the award and Matthews was +1300. Matthews' monstrous scoring month increased his implied win probability by 28%.

Kucherov's and McDavid's odds remain largely unchanged since the beginning of February.

While 30% of bets placed on the Hart Trophy market at theScore Bet, which is only available in Ontario, are on Matthews, 80% of all bets made over the past two weeks were on the Leafs superstar.

Furthermore, 55% of bets backing Matthews to win the Hart have been placed within the past two weeks.

The bet splits for the remainder of the contenders are as follows: 14% for McDavid; 10% for MacKinnon; and 4.6% for Kucherov.

Matthews is also -10000 (99% implied probability) to win the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy as the league's top goalscorer. He has a 23-goal advantage over second-place Sam Reinhart.

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