TORONTO AT COLORADO, 7 p.m. Thursday, ALT, 950 AM
Spotlight on Auston Matthews: Toronto’s 19-year-old rookie center considered playing for the University of Denver last season. Matthews, the No. 1 pick in the 2016 draft, is second behind Winnipeg’s Patrik Laine in rookie goals (18 to 15) and rookie points (29 to 24). Matthews was born and raised in Scottsdale, Ariz., and will make his NHL debut in his home state Friday when the Maple Leafs visit the Coyotes. If he had chosen the NCAA route over major-junior or European professional leagues the Pioneers believed he would have went to Denver. As it was, he played last season with former Avalanche coach Marc Crawford for Zurich SC in…
