Auston Matthews breaks Darryl Sittler’s record with a hat trick against the Jets

Toronto Maple Leafs captain and centre Auston Matthews led a thrilling comeback, helping Toronto rally from three goals down to beat the Winnipeg Jets 6-5 on Thursday night at Scotiabank Arena. Matthews added an assist for his 14th NHL hat trick, surpassing Darryl Sittler’s long-standing franchise record for most goals at home with 232.

Matthews also passed Pat LaFontaine (13) for the most hat tricks from a player born in the United States in NHL history, now behind Steven Stamkos (15), Davis Pastrnak (19) and Alex Ovechkin (33). Furthermore, he tied Charlie Conacher for the third most hat tricks in franchise history, behind only Sitler (18) and Babe Dye (16), and hit his 17th career four-point game, tied with Mitch Marner for second most in franchise history. Matthews entered the night with 15 goals and 27 points in 33 games and now has 18 goals and 31 points in 34 games.

The match had a back-and-forth battle from the start. Gabriel Vilardi opened the scoring for Winnipeg at 14:09 of the first period, followed by Dylan DeMello’s slap shot at 17:38 to give the Jets a 2-0 lead. Matthews answered early in the second period with a backhand deflection over Jets goaltender Eric Comrie, cutting the deficit to 2-1. However, Winnipeg regained control as Alex Iaffalo and Mark Scheifele extended their lead to 4-1, with Scheifele scoring his 19th of the season.

The Maple Leafs made a key change in goal, pulling Joseph Wall after he allowed four goals on 18 shots and turning to Dennis Hildeby, who made 22 saves to help the team hold on for the win. Toronto came from behind in the second period, with Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Matthews scoring just before the break to make it 4-3. Matthews scored the second goal on the power play with just two seconds left in the second period.

The third period belonged to the Maple Leafs. Matias Maccelli tied the game at 4-4, but Scheifele scored on the power play to put the Jets back up for a moment. Troy Stecher responded with a shot at 13:13 to make it 5-5. Matthews completed his hat trick at 15:38 after Comrie mishandled the puck, pushing it toward an open center, giving Toronto a 6-5 lead that would hold. Hildeby held on for the win with a clutch save from Scheifele in the final seconds. With seconds left, Hildeby made a save on Scheife to help the Maple Leafs hold on for the win.

The Maple Leafs’ record now stands at 19-15-6 after securing their second straight win. Next, they will travel to face the New York Islanders on Saturday.