#9 – Auston Matthews scores OT winner in Centennial Classic – January 1st, 2017
We kicked off the list with a highlight from an outdoor game against the Red Wings, so why don’t we go with another one for number nine.
This goal came three years after the 2014 Winter Classic and featured a new-and-improved roster led by the future young core of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
And as we all know, with a young core comes growing pains.
In this game in particular, the Toronto Maple Leafs put together a 4-1 lead in the third period before the Red Wings stormed back with three goals in a row to tie it at 4-4, partially thanks to the Wings’ own young star Anthony Mantha, who had two goals of his own including the game-tying goal with two seconds to spare in the third period.
This goal had all of Leafs nation in a panic, but Auston Matthews essentially told everybody not to worry and took matters into his own hands.
After carrying the puck into the zone and dropping it to Jake Gardiner, Matthews finds the puck bouncing off of the end board and sneaks a no-look backhander by Jared Coreau to win it in overtime.
This would be one of many times Matthews would come up clutch with a big goal in his young career.