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Auston Matthews sets the tone for 2026 in New Year’s Day thriller

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A new year provides a natural impetus for change, and it could be an auspicious year for Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews.

Matthews returned to the lineup Thursday and submitted a dominant performance, registering a hat-trick in a 6-5 thriller over the Winnipeg Jets on New Year’s Day. It’s all the more remarkable when considering that Matthews was ruled out Tuesday against the New Jersey Devils, sustaining an injury when he blocked a shot from Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin on Sunday.

Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube seemingly had a premonition that Matthews was due to explode, which naturally conjures up memories of yesteryear.

“He’s our captain. Really like the way he’s been playing lately. Driving the play and getting good opportunities and just playing with a lot of pace and determination. Great to have him back tonight,” Berube said of Matthews, following Thursday’s morning skate.

“Just taking pucks to the middle of the ice more, and attacking. Taking people 1-on-1 and winning all those battles and just all that, and just his attack mentality around the net. He looks like he’s ripping the puck a little bit, with a bit more ‘oomph’ on the shot.”

Matthews skated with real explosion throughout the contest, which may be another sign that he’s inching closer to the stratospheric form that’s expected of him, two years removed from a 69-goal campaign. Toronto’s captain has been routinely lauded for his shot-blocking prowess and defensive awareness, but he’s the captain of a storied Original Six franchise because of his goal-scoring abilities.

Ahead of Thursday’s game, Matthews appeared to hint that he recovered from a foot injury.

“It was worrisome, you never know what it could be,” Matthews said after Thursday’s morning skate. “It kind of caught me in a difficult spot, and it was pretty swollen for a few days. So I just tried to do what I could to reduce all that stuff, put my foot in my skate and get going again.”

Matthews will need to shoot with the aforementioned ‘oomph’ regularly to ease Leafs Nation back into the idea that he’s a face-of-the-league calibre superstar. In the interim, the Leafs are devising ways to get Matthews involved, and his skating unlocks another gear. During Matthews’ first goal, he flew through the neutral zone, dished the puck to Max Domi and continued his drive to the net. Domi put an inch-perfect pass on Matthews’ tape, and the Leafs’ captain beat Jets (and Team Canada) defenceman Josh Morrissey to the back post, cutting the lead to 2-1.

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When Matthews is at his scintillating best, he can score in a variety of ways. As the clock began to expire towards the end of the second stanza, Matias Maccelli gathered the puck and re-entered the zone on a power play, finding Morgan Rielly with a lateral pass. Rielly waited patiently as Matthews skated near the top of the faceoff circle. Matthews ripped the puck with velocity and location, scorching the back of the net. It was vintage Matthews, a sight for sore eyes.

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The best players in all professional sports benefit from luck, and this maxim applies to Matthews. A sleepy New Year’s Day crowd awoke from their collective hangover and were dialled in, trying to will the Leafs to victory in the final frame. Matthews, and rookie Easton Cowan took advantage of a grave error made by Jets goalie Eric Comrie, leading to the game-winner.

Comrie misplayed the puck, Cowan pounced on it, and got it over to Matthews, who must been frothing at an empty net. Matthews made no mistake for a hat-trick and wheeled away to celebrate. It was certainly well-deserved, and he may finally be turning the corner, after a year in which the world’s loudest hockey market tried to figure out how and why he descended from his all-world realm.

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This was the type of game where the eye test reigned supreme. We won’t ignore data in service of the column, and Mike Kelly of NHL Network outlined how Matthews rapidly improved through the past two weeks, especially when getting to the inner-slot.

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“It’s just fun to watch. It shows his leadership in the way that he carries himself and how he leads this team on the ice. He did just that, and he carried us to the win tonight,” Maple Leafs forward Bobby McMann said of Matthews.

“He’s our captain for a reason, he’s our leader, you know? A heck of a performance by him,” Maple Leafs defenceman Troy Stecher said, post-game. “It’s kind of weird to expect that every night. It’s hard to score three goals in a game. The boys are pumped for him. It’s huge.”

It’s not remotely surprising that Matthews received the team belt, awarded to the Leafs’ best or most impactful player in a winning effort.

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A new year also invites historical contemplation. As the Maple Leafs enter their 109th year of existence, Matthews is on the verge of breaking Mats Sundin’s franchise record for all-time goals. While Matthews is reticent to discuss the impending accomplishment, lightly chiding the press for asking him about franchise history on a daily basis, he knows what Sundin means in Leafs lore, and his place in the record books.

“It’s special just to be in the same sentence as (Sundin),” Matthews said, post-game. “Obviously, guys like him and a number of others that came before us paved the way. I’ve worn the jersey and I think we all take a lot of pride in wearing the jersey and realize how special it is. So it definitely means a lot.”

Perhaps we’re all better suited to put the calendar year of 2025 behind us. It was a year in which Matthews’ running mate elected for a trade at the last possible second, following a crushing elimination at the hands of a divisional rival. Matthews’ lingering injury was a daily topic of conversation as well. There’s no better way to silence a legion of critics, neutral observers and anxious admirers alike by playing like one of the world’s best players. Matthews appears to be rounding into top gear. And while the Maple Leafs still have to scale a mountain with steep incline, Matthews set the tone for what could be an auspicious 2026 on an individual and team level.

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