If you’re a Toronto Maple Leafs fan, you don’t just watch a game; you survive it. Thursday night at Scotiabank Arena was a masterclass in the “Leafs Experience”—a chaotic, heart-stopping, 6-5 comeback victory over the Winnipeg Jets that featured a goaltending carousel, a three-goal hole, and a historic performance from the captain.
Auston Matthews is now just one goal away from immortality. With his 14th career hat trick and a four-point night, #34 moved to 419 career goals, sitting a single sniper’s shot away from tying the legendary Mats Sundin for the most in franchise history.
The Disaster Start
The first period was, in a word, “Leafy.” Despite out-shooting Winnipeg early, the Buds found themselves down 2-0. Gabriel Vilardi opened the scoring at 14:09, slipping one through Joseph Woll, and Dylan DeMelo doubled the lead late in the frame on a seeing-eye shot from the point that took a cruel deflection off Matthews’ own stick.
At that point, the Scotiabank Arena faithful were checking their watches and wondering if Eric Comrie—making his first start since mid-December—was going to turn into Ken Dryden for the night.
The Climb Back
The second period was a track meet. Matthews cut the lead to 2-1 early on a beautiful give-and-go with Max Domi, but the defensive structure evaporated shortly after. Alex Iafallo and Mark Scheifele beat Woll in quick succession to make it 4-1.
That was the end of the night for Woll (13 saves on 17 shots). Enter Dennis Hildeby. Usually, bringing in the “Hilde-Beast” in relief is a “break glass in case of emergency” situation, but the rookie stood tall, stopping 19 of 20 to allow the comeback to materialize.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson brought some life back to the building at 11:04 of the second, using Vilardi as a screen to beat Comrie. Then, with just three seconds left in the period and the Leafs on the power play, Matthews hammered home a Morgan Rielly feed to make it 4-3. Momentum? It wasn’t just shifting; it was a landslide.
The Third Period Circus
The final frame was pure theatre. Matias Maccelli tied the game at 4-4 after a brilliant no-look feed from Matthew Knies, who continues to be a puck-retrieval monster on the top line.
But because we can’t have nice things without a struggle, Max Domi took a high-sticking penalty at 12:47, leading to Scheifele’s second of the night. 5-4 Jets. The “here we go again” vibes were palpable.
However, this iteration of the Leafs refused to fold. Troy Stecher—yes, you read that right—stepped up at 13:13 of the third, blasting a shot from the left circle to tie it at 5-5.
Then came the moment. At 15:38, Eric Comrie had a momentary lapse behind his net, mishandling the puck. Like a shark sensing blood, Matthews was there. He gathered the loose change and tucked a backhander into the yawning cage for the hat trick and the 6-5 lead. The hats rained down, and the building shook.
The Verdict
The Leafs (19-15-6) have now picked up points in five straight (4-0-1). It wasn’t “coaches’ tape” hockey—the giveaways from the blue line (OEL and Rielly combined for 6) need to be cleaned up, and the PK rotation on the Scheifele goal was a step slow. But you don’t apologize for two points, especially when your superstar is playing at a transcendent level.
The Jets (0-5-3 in their last 8) are reeling, and the Leafs smelled the blood in the water.
Next Up: All eyes are on the next game. Mats Sundin’s record is on life support. Auston Matthews is coming for the crown.