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Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews ends a 121-game drought in much-needed Toronto breakthrough originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
New year, new Auston Matthews.
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Or maybe for the Toronto Maple Leafs, it's more like good 'ole Auston Matthews.
On Thursday, on the first day of 2026, Matthews netted a hat trick for the Maple Leafs.
It's his first hat trick since Feb. 17, 2024.
Since then, Matthews had gone 121 regular season games without putting three pucks in the back of the net on one night.
It's a crucially encouraging sign for Toronto, which has surprisingly struggled this season and needed its leader to find his groove once again.
The Maple Leafs will want to see Matthews keep doing this to know it's not a fluke.
But any signs of life from Matthews are signs of life for the entire organization. He sets the tone for everything Toronto does on the ice.
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And at least on the first day of the new year, Matthews looked like his resolution is to return to his prolific past ways and be a superstar once again.
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