Auston Matthews gave Maple Leafs fans another moment to remember on Saturday night, even if the final result didn’t go Toronto’s way. The Leafs fell 4-3 in overtime to the New York Islanders, a loss that left them sitting near the bottom of the Atlantic Division despite points in three straight games.
In that game, Matthews was officially crowned the Maple Leafs’ all-time greatest goal scorer, and his former teammate Mitch Marner summed it up with a three-word reaction.
Mitch Marner’s Reaction to Auston Matthews’ Leafs Honor
Matthews opened the scoring by tying Mats Sundin’s mark with his 420th career goal midway through the second period. He picked up a loose puck near the blue line and calmly slid the puck home while cutting across the crease.
At the end of the period, he took a feed from Bobby McMann to give Toronto the lead and himself sole possession of the franchise record. Remarkably, Matthews reached the milestone in just 664 regular-season games, 317 fewer than Sundin needed during his storied career in Toronto.
Among those quick to celebrate the achievement was former Leafs teammate Marner. Now with the Vegas Golden Knights, Marner shared, “Congrats brother!!@austtonmatthews Animal!,” a three-word message for Matthews on Instagram story.
Matthews took time after the game to reflect on what the moment meant to him. “It means a lot, it’s a very historical franchise. There’s a lot of pride… I am very humbled. I couldn’t do it without the great group of guys around me,” Matthews said.
The celebration, however, was tempered by the outcome. Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer scored twice. It included the overtime winner in the final minute, spoiling Toronto’s night and turning what should have been a celebration for their captain into a tough loss.
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Sundin also shared a video message congratulating Matthews on breaking his record, saying, “What a treat for all Maple Leaf fans around the world to have a player like yourself representing the Toronto Maple Leafs. And even more importantly, you’re a great person and a great leader for the Toronto Maple Leafs.”
Now in his second year wearing the captain’s “C,” Matthews keeps moving up the Maple Leafs’ all-time charts and already ranks fourth in franchise points, with his momentum showing no sign of slowing. Making the moment even bigger, he’s also set to represent Team USA at next month’s Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina.