No one should be surprised that Auston Matthews is picking up where he left off last season. The NHL’s preseason is in full swing, and Matthews has already put together a solid few games of work as the Toronto Maple Leafs gear up for the new year.
Auston Matthews now has the power to freeze goaltenders on even the most innocent of shots
Who unplugged Al Montoya’s controller?
On Monday, Matthews put together quite a night of work. The 20-year-old forward ended up tallying a hat trick in the Maple Leafs’ 5-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens as Toronto moved to a 3-2 record in the preseason.
His best moment, however, came within the opening minute of the game as he caught Al Montoya napping on a seemingly harmless shot.
Matthews, rightfully, took the opportunity on the rush to shoot the puck between the legs of defenseman Shea Weber while he was screened from Montoya’s sight. Thanks to the human shield of Weber in front of him, Montoya doesn’t even react at all to Matthews’ perfectly placed shot as the Maple Leafs took a 1-0 lead 47 seconds into the game.
Which, of course, sets us up for one of the most overused, but still applicable, sports memes of all time.
I’m not even sorry, folks. Gotta get those Photoshop muscles working early this year.
But hey, Matthews’ other two goals were quite delightful as well. It was a well-deserved hat trick for the young forward, even if it was a preseason game.
See More:
