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  Graphic: Genevive Oliver There have been great players for the Pittsburgh Penguins, and then there has been Mario Lemieux. From the impossible reach of his stick to his effortless, balletic stride, 'Le Magnifique' wasn't just a force of nature—he was a work of art on ice. His time in Pittsburgh wasn't just about piling up goals and assists; it was an incredible journey of dizzying highs, a battle with a life-threatening illness, and then, a truly triumphant comeback that carved his place as an eternal Penguins legend. His story is one of unrivaled greatness on the ice and a fierce, unwavering loyalty to the city that loved him. The Arrival of Le Magnifique: The Savior of a City The hype around Mario Lemieux started almost before he even got here. In the mid-1980s, the Pittsburgh Penguins were a punchline—a franchise teetering on the brink of irrelevance. Their arena was a ghost town, their roster a collection of misfits. Then, on a fateful day in 1984, the draft lotte...
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Auston Matthews Recorded His 13th Career Hat Trick, Tyler Bertuzzi Ends 19-Game Goal Drought in 9-2 Victory vs. Anaheim 2/17/24

 




*Sorry for the lack of photos! Hoping to get permission eventually.*


   Auston Matthews scored back-to-back hat tricks, two straight, as well as recording his sixth of the season. Matthews also had two assists for the Toronto Maple Leafs in their 9-2 victory against the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday, February 17th.


Ducks lineup against the Maple Leafs:

Henrique - Carlsson - Strome

Vatrano - McTavish - Terry

Killorn - Lundestrom - Silfverberg

Jones - Carrick - Johnston


Fowler - Lindstrom

Vaakanainen - Gudas

Mintyukov - Lyubushkin


Dostal

Gibson


Maple Leafs lineup against the Ducks:

Knies - Matthews - Marner

Bertuzzi - Domi - Nylander

McMann - Holmberg - Robertson

Gregor - Kampf - Reaves


Brodie - Liljegren

Benoit - McCabe

Lajoie - Lagesson


Jones

Samsonov


   Auston Matthews gave Toronto the lead at 16:19 of the first period. He scored off a pass by Matthew Knies from behind the net to get a one-timer from the slot. Extending the lead to 2-0, Bobby McMann struck a wrist shot from the left circle on the power play to get his sixth goal of the season soon after Matthews' goal. Jake McCabe pushed it to 3-0 from the top of the right circle with a wrist shot. Getting Anaheim on the board, Frank Vatrano made it 3-1 on the power play after he took a cross-ice pass from Ryan Strome... William Nylander extended Toronto's lead to 4-1 with his own power-play goal. Nylander scored a wrist shot from the left dot over Lukas Dostal's blocker.


   Just 50 seconds into the second period, Auston Matthews struck again! Matthews scored his second of the night with a one-timer after taking a pass from Mitch Marner at the right circle. Tyler Bertuzzi made it a 6-1 game with his seventh goal of the season. Bertuzzi redirected in a pass from Matthews, top of the crease on the power play. Completing the hat trick (MATTY HATTY!!), Matthews recorded his 13th career hat trick... this one is his second straight. He chipped in a loose puck into the slot for his league-leading 48th goal. Bobby McMann strikes again later in the middle frame to get the Maple Leafs to an 8-1 lead. McMann got a cross-ice pass from Max Domi at the left point to record his seventh of the season.


   At 4:24 of the final frame, Ryan Strome scored his ninth goal of the season and the second goal for Anaheim. Strome scored from the bottom of the left circle with a snap shot. Scoring from the slot for the 9-2 final, Nicholas Robertson scored with a wrist shot for his eighth goal of the season.




Auston Matthews on the Maple Leafs' 9-2 victory and Tyler Bertuzzi's goal: "We started really well and just never looked back. I just thought a really solid effort all around," - "It was great. He's a big part of this team and a big part of our locker room. Seeing him get that one feels good for everybody but I'm sure it feels really good for him. He's had more than enough opportunities. Sometimes you just get a little snakebitten, but that one goes in and now you just don't look back."


Tyler Bertuzzi on his goal and the support from the team in their 9-2 win: "It felt good. I hit the post earlier before and it felt good to see it go in. We all have each other's back in here and it was a good team win."



Notes:

- Auston Matthews became the 10th player in NHL history to score six hat tricks in a season... Could he record a few more in the next 29 games?

  Matthews' 'Matty Hattys' are the most in a season since 1995-96, when Mario Lemieux had six for the Pittsburgh Penguins... Toronto is the 15th team in NHL history to have a player record a hat trick in at least three consecutive games. The only other team in the past 30 years to do so is the Washington Capitals (2009-10)...

- Tyler Bertuzzi's goal got him out of a 19-game goal drought

- Bobby McMan had two goals and an assist... William Nylander had a goal and two assists, and Timothy Liljegren recorded three assists.

  Bobby McMann has recorded six points in his last three games (five goals, one assist) after he'd gotten seven points in his first 26 games (two goals, five assists)... William Nylander hit 500 NHL career points.

- William Lagesson left in the first period after sustaining an upper-body injury... John Tavares was not able to play due to an undisclosed injury, out day-to-day.

- Martin Jones made 19 saves for Toronto... Lukas Dostal made 14 saves on 18 shots, getting replaced by John Gibson in the beginning of the second period. Gibson made nine saves.

- Ryan Strome had a goal and an assist


 




Postgame: William Nylander

Postgame: Bobby McMann

Postgame: Sheldon Keefe

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