Matthews 3-point return, Knies’ hat trick, and more: 3 reasons why Toronto Maple Leafs won 6-4 over Boston Bruins

The Toronto Maple Leafs locked down a gritty 6-4 win over the Boston Bruins on Saturday night at Scotiabank Arena. Auston Matthews had a triumphant return, icing the game with an empty-net goal in the game’s dying seconds.

Matthews Knies notched his first career hat trick, with Mitch Marner notching five points (1 goal, 4 assists). Jake McCabe scored his first goal of the season in the first period. Meanwhile, David Pastrnak scored twice for the Boston Bruins, with Morgan Geekie and Trent Frederic getting the others.

Here's a look at the three key reasons why the Toronto Maple Leafs won over the Boston Bruins on Saturday night.

3 reasons why the Toronto Maple Leafs won over the Boston Bruins

#3 Mitch Marner continues impressive scoring run

Mitch Marner registered five points on the night, continuing his huge campaign. He entered the night seventh in the league in scoring with 51 points. The five-point game now puts Marner at 56 and inching closer to league leader Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche.

It’s worth pointing out that Marner continues to be the Toronto Maple Leafs’ offensive leader as he’s taken the role during Auston Matthews’ absence. With Matthews back in the lineup, Marner didn’t miss a beat.

#2 Matthews’ triumphant return

Auston Matthews returned to the Toronto Maple Leafs lineup after missing another six games due to a reaggravation of a previous injury. But on Saturday night against the Bruins, it didn’t seem like Matthews had been out for so long.

Matthews assisted twice while adding an impressive empty-netter. During the final minute of the game, Matthews and Pastrnak went on a foot race to catch a puck squirting back into the Boston zone with the net empty.

As the puck seemed to reach the faceoff circle, Matthews dove to get a stick ahead of Pastrnak, poking the puck in the net for his 12th of the season and icing the game.

The effort is exactly what the team expected from their captain, leading the way with selfless plays to ensure his team got the two points.

#1 Knies’ first career hat trick

The big story of the night was Matthew Knies, who notched his first career hat trick. Knies scored twice in the third period to give the Leafs a 4-3 lead.

Knies is now one goal away from equaling his career high of 15 set last season in 80 games. At this rate, Knies could eclipse the 30-goal plateau.

The Leafs will have a short turnaround as they take on the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday night at home, looking to extend their current win streak to four games.