Auston Matthews Rescues Leafs With Hat Trick After Blown 4-1 Lead In Centennial Classic

The Toronto Maple Leafs lost a 4-1 lead. Does that sound familiar?

Well, it should for Leafs fans. Toronto gave up one in Game 7 of its 2013 first-round playoff series against the Boston Bruins, and it happened again Sunday in the Centennial Classic outdoor game against the Detroit Red Wings at BMO Field.

Toronto exploded for four goals in the third period, but Detroit came storming back over the last six minutes of regulation and tied the score 4-4 on a goal from Anthony Mantha with 1.1 seconds remaining.

We’ve got a Centennial Classic buzzer beater pic.twitter.com/tZgZJM2sY3

— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) January 1, 2017

Unbelievable pic.twitter.com/X1ehi6OiWh

— Marina Maher (@marinakmaher) January 1, 2017

Unlike 2013, the Leafs prevailed in overtime. Rookie center Auston Matthews completed his hat trick with the game-winning goal to secure a Leafs win. Matthews now leads all rookies with 20 goals on the season.