1 A DEBUT FOR THE AGES Auston Matthews skated into position in front of the goalie From behind the net a Toronto Maple Leafs teammate sent him a quick pass When the puck arrived Matthews poked it forward with a flick of his wrist The puck flew past the diving Ottawa Senators goalie and into the net Matthews pumped his fist as his teammates surrounded him in celebration Matthews had good reason to be excited The rookie had just scored his first goal in the National Hockey League NHL Matthews looks for an opportunity during a 2016 game against the Ottawa Senators
It came just eight minutes into his first game Toronto fans expected a lot out of Matthews After all he had been the No 1 overall pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft And his night was just getting started Later in the first period Matthews had the puck on his stick once again He bolted down the left side of the ice and fired a shot The puck bounced off the goalie's leg and into the back of the net Matthews had taken only two shots in the game so far Both had resulted in goals Less than two minutes into the second period Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly streaked down the left boards As Rielly brought the puck behind the net Matthews skated into position in front of the goalie Matthews received the pass and smacked a
nea 29 NYLANDER Matthews right celebrates after scoring a goal in the first game of his career one timer into the net Even though the game was in Ottawa hats rained down onto the ice Matthews had just become the first No 1 draft pick to score a hat trick in his first game
