Auston Matthews played his first game in his home state on Friday night, and his family and close friends in attendance were treated to a pre-Christmas delight.
Matthews picked up an assist on Connor Brown’s opening goal of the game – 3:04 after the opening faceoff – in Toronto’s 4-1 win over the Arizona Coyotes at Gila River Arena.
“It was special,” the Scottsdale, Arizona raised native said. “Like I said earlier – today, coming home and playing in front of the home crowd, playing where I grew up, it’s definitely a special moment. To get the two points here and to win definitely puts the cherry on top.