Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs is starting the 2023-24 NHL season in explosive fashion by recording hat tricks in the team's first two games.
After opening the season with three goals over the Montreal Canadiens in last week's 6-5 victory, the 26-year-old center added a couple of more hat tricks against the Minnesota Wild on Saturday, October 14.
Matthews accounted for two of the three goals of the Maple Leafs' win over the Wild. The feat pushed him into the NHL record books, becoming only the fifth player in league history to post back-to-back hat tricks in a team's first two games, the New York Post reported.
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The 26-year-old professional hockey player thus joins the likes of Alexander Ovechkin, Reg Noble, Joe Malone, and Cy Denneny, per ESPN Stats and Info.
Two games, two hat tricks for Auston Matthews (@AM34). 🥶 #NHLFaceOff
Is that good? pic.twitter.com/TjLthxcWN7— NHL (@NHL) October 15, 2023
Matthews makes Maple Leafs history
Aside from that, Auston Matthews also became the first player since Wendel Clark to amass five or more goals in a season's first two games.
Matthews' game last weekend also put him into a tie with Mats Sundin for the most multi-goal game in franchise history, per NHL PR.
Matthews, Maple Leafs prepare for Beddard and the Blackhawks
The Maple Leafs will need more of that from Matthews when they face the Connor Beddard-led Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday, October 18. The Blackhawks are looking to bounce back after losing to the Canadiens on Saturday, 3-2, Reuters reported.
"I think the work ethic has been there both games, and as a line just moving our feet, making sure we are taking care of each other defensively and just trying to attack offensively, and obviously the puck has been going in, so that's always fun and always positive," Matthews said after their win over the Wild.
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