Auston Matthews continues to amaze, even though everyone already knows he’s elite. During the Toronto Maple Leafs’ game against the Buffalo Sabres this Thursday, October 15, the Canadian franchise’s captain made a spectacular play to score the game’s opening goal.
Matthews brought the puck down with his hand while jumping, then passed it to Jack Roslovic, who assisted before Matthews finished the play by scoring.
The sequence didn’t go unnoticed, and the Maple Leafs’ official social media account highlighted it with the caption “NEW WR1 Josh Allen?” Some fans also expressed excitement, writing comments like “Air Matthews!”
New WR1, Josh Allen? 👀 https://t.co/5pvz1SfTZB
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) October 15, 2026
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At the time of writing this, the Maple Leafs lead 2-1, and the first period has just ended. Auston Matthews and Kirill Marchenko scored for the Canadian franchise, while Jack Quinn scored for Buffalo.
Auston Matthews Continues Strong Start With Another Goal Contribution
During the offseason, speculation about Auston Matthews’ future ran high as the franchise went through constant changes, from the departure of general manager Brad Treliving to the exit of head coach Craig Berube.
After changes at both the front office and roster levels, some pundits believed Toronto’s best course of action was to closely evaluate Matthews’ performance this season and consider trading him in the near future.
Some pundits, including ESPN analyst Ray Ferraro, shared the view that teams should evaluate Matthews’ season before deciding, because after the Mexican-American player’s injury, even if he feels completely healthy, a lengthy readjustment and recovery process is always necessary.
He said, “I know you guys have had injuries that have lingered from one year to the next. And oftentimes it takes you a while; even though you feel pretty good, you’re like, you’re just not quite right for a while.”
“And I don’t know if that’s the case. You know, I just know with the knee trouble that I had and the surgeries I had, I always felt like I was ready to go, and then in September, October, I’m like, wow, I don’t quite feel like I think I should feel. And maybe there’ll be some of that too.”
Nevertheless, Matthews got off to a strong start this season, scoring in the season opener against the Ottawa Senators. He then scored a goal and recorded three assists against the Nashville Predators before adding an assist against the Vegas Golden Knights. Against the Colorado Avalanche, he scored two goals and added two assists; against Utah, he scored a goal and added an assist.
In other words, Matthews has contributed in every game Toronto has played this season, and he’ll do so again against Buffalo. We’ll see how the game ends.
Auston Matthews Wows Maple Leafs Fans With Beautiful Play vs. Sabres