Matthews, a 19-year-old American centre, scored on his first three shots, becoming only the fifth player in NHL history to net a hat trick in his league debut, the first since compatriot Derek Stepan of the New York Rangers in 2010, also on his first three NHL shots.
Iepriekšējo reizi kāds hokejists ar trim gūtiem vārtiem savā debijas mačā izcēlās 2010.gadā, kad Dereks Stepans Ņujorkas "Rangers" rindās guva "hat-trick" savā pirmajā NHL spēlē.