Auston Matthews Scores 5th Hat Trick of the Season in a 4-3 OT Win Against the Flyers, 2/15/24

February 15, 2024

Auston Matthews Scores 5th Hat Trick of the Season in a 4-3 OT Win Against the Flyers, 2/15/24

Him. pic.twitter.com/kOHyPhDen1
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) February 16, 2024

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

Auston Matthews scored his fifth hat trick of the season, helping the Maple Leafs to get into overtime for the 4-3 final. This was the final game for the Philadelphia Flyers before they face the New Jersey Devils on Saturday at the MetLife Stadium for the 2024 Stadium Series.

Flyers lineup against the Maple Leafs:

Tippett - Couturier - Konecny

Farabee - Frost - Atkinson

Hathaway - Poehling - Cates

Lycksell - Laughton

York - Sanheim

Staal - Drysdale

Seeler - Walker

Zamula

Ersson

Peterson

Maple Leafs lineup against the Flyers:

Knies - Matthews - Marner

Holmberg - Tavares - Nylander

Bertuzzi - Domi - Robertson

McMann - Kampf - Gregor

Brodie - Liljegren

Benoit - McCabe

Giordano - Lagesson

Samsonov

Hildeby

Travis Sanheim struck first and gave the Flyers a 1-0 lead. Scott Laughton sent a pass to Sanheim in the slot and slid a shot past Ilya Samsonov's outstretched right pad for a short-handed goal. Philadelphia kept the 1-0 lead through the remainder of the first period.

At 8:54 of the middle frame, Auston Matthews tied up the game 1-1... just a few minutes later, Matthews struck again to get his 44th goal of the season. With 1:05 remaining in the second period, he scored his 45th goal and the fifth hat trick of the season.

Auston Matthews became one of just three players in the past 30 years to record five or more hat tricks in a single season. Matthews joined Jonathan Cheechoo (5 in 2005-06) and Mario Lemieux (6 in 1995-96).

In the third period, the score remained the same. The Flyers and Maple Leafs headed into overtime to determine the game-winner.

Timothy Liljegren passed the puck to William Nylander, who shot it from the slot between Samuel Ersson's pads just 54 seconds into overtime to wrap it up 4-3.

Notes:

- Auston Matthews ties Darryl Sittler (1980-81), Babe Dye (1924-25), and Reg Noble (1917-18) with five hat tricks for the most in a single season in Toronto Maple Leafs history.

Matthews recorded his 72nd career multi-goal game, passing Sittler for the most in franchise history.

- Auston Matthews stats: 51 GP 45 Goals 21 Assists 66 Points

- Mitch Marner recorded two assists... William Nylander had a goal and an assist

- Ilya Samsonov made 29 saves for Toronto

- Flyers forward, Sean Couturier, was named the 20th captain in franchise history on Wednesday, February 14th.

- Cam York didn't return when he left in the third period... there were also no updates postgame either. York had left after taking a hit from defenseman Simon Benoit.

- Travis Konecny had a goal and an assist... Samuel Ersson made 24 saves for Philadelphia.

Auston Matthews on the Maple Leafs' OT win and what the wins without players do for the group: "I think they're a really stingy team. They play really hard on both sides of the puck. They don't make it easy. So I think just sticking with it, staying patient, just trying to work them shift after shift and then eventually getting those opportunities to capitalize on them," - "I think it's just building that positive momentum going forward and having these last two weeks, for the most part, being here at home... Making sure we're taking care of business on home ice before we get going on the road trip. These are really important games for us."