WATCH: Maple Leafs’ Auston Matthews scores hat-trick in back-to-back games to open new 2023-24 season

Auston Matthews once again dazzled on the ice field as he recorded a second successive hat-trick in the Toronto Maple Leafs' 4-7 triumph over the Minnesota Wild.

WATCH: Maple Leafs’ Auston Matthews scores hat-trick in back-to-back games to open new 2023-24 season

Auston Matthews celebrating after scoring another hat-trick (Pic Credit: X)

The Auston Matthews train keeps on charging forward. After recording a hat-trick in the opening game of the season, which propelled the Toronto Maple Leafs to a 6-5 shootout win, Matthews has done it once again. The forward recorded his second hat-trick of the season during his side’s 4-7 triumph over the Minnesota Wild on Saturday night.

The 26-year-old center player has been under the spotlight. His recent contract extension sparked a debate about whether the deal was worth it or not. At the moment, Auston Matthews is silencing his critics with ease while scoring goals left and right.

YouTube video

Two of his three goals came in the first period itself, which turned things around for the Maple Leafs. They went from trailing 1-0 to leading 1-2 thanks to this effort from their star forward. He completed his second successive hat-trick in the third period when he skated around the goal and tucked his effort away. This extended their lead to 3-6, which eventually saw them run out as 4-7 winners.

FS Video

“He’s going to do a lot of damage on a lot of records and lot of Leafs records, goal scoring achievements and what not,” his teammate Morgan Rielly was quoted by Yahoo Sports. After an injury-plagued season last time out, Matthews would be hoping for another stellar outing this campaign, which can help the Maple Leafs do better than last time out.

Related: Sidney Crosby SAVAGELY teases Jake Guentzel by making ‘pig noises’ following Penguins’ 4-0 win against Capitals

Auston Matthews becomes fifth player to start season with consecutive hat-tricks

Scoring a hat trick is one of the toughest tasks in the NHL. So to score two in back-to-back games means there is something special about the player. While Auston Matthews has been established as one of the most feared players going forward in attack, this feat was something many would not have hoped for from him. He has now joined an exclusive list and became just the fifth player to open a season with hat-tricks in two opening games.

The American International has been widely compared with “The Great Eight” Alex Ovechkin. The two players share a lot of similarities with each other. This led to a buzz among hockey faithful fans about whether he could surpass the veteran in the future. They now share another thing together. Matthews is the first player after Ovechkin to accomplish this feat.

Auston Matthews
Auston Matthews in action against Minnesota Wild (Pic Credit: X/ESPN Stats and Info)

Surprisingly, they are the only two players to do this in over a century. It was in the 1917-18 season when three players were able to do this. Cy Denneny, Joe Malone, and Reg Noble were the ones who achieved this monumental feat.

As he celebrates this magnificent achievement, Matthews will also be looking to the next came forward. It promises to be a blockbuster as the Leafs take on Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday night. Meanwhile, the Wild will be looking to bounce back against the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night.

In case you missed it: