Captain Auston Matthews registered his 14th career hat trick, including the game-winner, to lead the Toronto Maple Leafs to a 6-5 comeback win against the struggling Winnipeg Jets on Thursday.
Jets netminder Eric Comrie could not freeze a loose puck at the side of his goal. It slid to a wide-open Matthews in front with 4:22 remaining for the Maple Leafs’ (19-15-6) fifth win in six outings.
Winnipeg (15-20-6) squandered a 4-1 lead after 40 minutes for its eighth loss in a row. Mark Scheifele scored two goals and set up another to lead the Jets.
After Scheifele put his team ahead 5-4 with a power-play snipe, Troy Stecher’s slapper and Matthews’s third put Toronto ahead for good. Matthews pulled to within one goal of tying Mats Sundin’s franchise record of 420 goals.
The Jets outshot the homeside 39-30 before 18,860 at Scotiabank Arena. Toronto backup Dennis Hildeby picked up the win, relieving Joseph Woll early in the second period after he allowed four goals on 18 shots.
The Maple Leafs were without William Nylander (lower body) for the third straight game. Dakota Joshua (kidney) and Chris Tanev (lower body) were also absent.
Takeaways
Leafs: With his second goal, Matthews set a franchise record for goals at home with 232, passing Darryl Sittler’s 44-year-old mark. Matthews has three goals and six points in his last three games.
Jets: Have won just three times since Nov. 18, having gone 3-13-4 in their last 20 games.
Key moment
Matthews scored on the power play with two seconds remaining in the second period to pull the Maple Leafs to within 4-3.
Key stat
When the Jets defeated the Maple Leafs in Toronto 374 days ago, Winnipeg was first overall, and the Maple Leafs were atop the Atlantic Division. The two teams entered their match on Thursday with the Jets last overall and Toronto only 10 spots better at 22nd.
Up next
Jets: Visit the Ottawa Senators on Saturday.
Leafs: Visit the New York Islanders on Saturday.
