The offensive artistry of Auston Matthews has reached the point where even hyperbole seems almost plausible.

“Everything he’s shooting,” Colorado Coach Jared Bednar said recently, “is going in the net.”

It sure does feel that way.

With 52 tallies through 56 games, the Toronto Maple Leafs’ goal-scoring marvel is on pace to become a rare member of the 70-goal club, joining the ranks of hockey royalty such as Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux. Last week at Arizona, where he grew up, Matthews set a record for the fastest U.S.-born player to reach 50 goals in a season (54 games).

“He continues to find body position in the open ice and his timing that way is really elite and something that goes unnoticed,” Maple Leafs center John Tavares said. “But his ability to find open space and continue to do it night after night is really impressive.”

No one is near Matthews’ 52 goals, with the closest challenger through Sunday being Florida’s Sam Reinhart (39). The 26-year-old Matthews has 10 goals and 14 points in the past six games, including a pair of hat tricks.

At this rate, his career high of 60 goals, set two seasons ago, is sure to be surpassed. No active player has reached that mark twice. Accomplish that and the player who’s earned the nicknames of “Big Cactus” (you know, being from Arizona) and “Papi” (a nod to his favorite baseball player, David Ortiz) would put himself in select company.

He would become the ninth player to accomplish that double and the first since Pavel Bure scored 60 goals in the 1992-93 and 1993-94 seasons.

It would understandable if Toronto Coach Sheldon Keefe took his star player’s unique skillset almost for granted. But he doesn’t.

“We’re very fortunate to have a player of that caliber on our team,” Keefe said of the No. 1 overall pick in 2016. “Auston leads the way for us in ways that we know and are obvious and show up on the score sheet, but he also leads the way in so many other categories that help set the standard for our team.”

A sentiment shared by Toronto forward Max Domi.

“He’s so hungry every time he steps on the ice,” Domi said. “He’s one of the best if not the best player in the world right now. He’s driving the bus right now. Fifty-two goals in however many games he’s played is insane, absolutely ridiculous.”

AVALANCHE: Valeri Nichushkin resumed practicing with the Colorado Avalanche after receiving care from the player assistance program.

The NHL and NHL Players’ Association announced that Nichushkin entered the follow-up care phase after being away from the team since in mid-January. Colorado coach Jared Bednar said after Monday’s practice that Nichushkin’s return to game action remains “to be determined.” He won’t accompany the team on an upcoming two-game trip.

The 28-year-old Russian became the second Colorado player to take part in the joint league-union program this season after defenseman Samuel Girard, who resumed playing roughly five weeks after entering it. Washington’s Evgeny Kuznetsov and Columbus’ Patrik Laine remain in the program.