Auston Matthews links up with Cristiano Ronaldo's former Juventus teammate and signs his #34 Maple Leafs jersey

Federico Bernardeschi from Toronto FC visited Scotiabank Arena on Wednesday. He came to support forward Auston Matthews and the Maple Leafs. The Leafs played against the Florida Panthers and won 3-2. This win helped Toronto secure a playoff spot.

Bernardeschi wore a blue jacket with “Toronto Maple Leafs” written on the back. Under the jacket, he wore last year’s NHL All-Star jersey. After the game, Auston Matthews gave him a signed white Maple Leafs jersey.

Bernardeschi shared a video on Instagram, writing:

“Yesterday I went to support my friends @mapleleafs in a great game! We won!!!! GO LEAFS GO 💙 Thank you friend @austonmatthews for the shirt! You’re the best 💪🏻 I’ll be waiting for you at BMO Field!”

Matthews reposted the video with a handshake and fist bump emojis.

Matthews' shared via IG @austonmatthews

This is not the first time Bernardeschi has met Matthews. He also visited him during last year’s NHL All-Star game. Since joining Toronto FC in July 2022, Bernardeschi often attends Leafs games to meet up with Matthews.

Before moving to MLS team Toronto FC, Bernardeschi played for Seria A club Juventus from 2017 to 2022. During his time there, he was teammates with Cristiano Ronaldo, who played for the Italian giants for four seasons from 2018-22.

Matthews is in his first season as Maple Leafs captain. He has scored 29 goals in 60 games for 69 points. Last season, he scored 69 goals. Despite the drop, he has improved his overall game after overcoming an injury that kept him out for 15 games earlier. The Maple Leafs have a 46-25-4 record and the team hopes Matthews will find his scoring touch again in the playoffs.

Auston Matthews and Leafs' win over Florida Panthers

The game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers was equally exciting. Auston Matthews provided a crucial helper on Mitch Marner's goal and finished the game with a rating of 1. He registered 4 shots on goal and played for 20:34 minutes.

The Florida Panthers scored first at 1:03 of the second period. Gustav Forsling one-timed a pass from Sam Reinhart past Anthony Stolarz but John Tavares tied the game 1-1.

Mitch Marner gave the Maple Leafs a 2-1 lead at 10:50 of the third period. Auston Matthews passed the puck to him after collecting his rebound. Matthew Knies made it 3-1 at 15:09. He took a long pass from Marner and scored on a breakaway.

Reinhart scored again at 17:22 to make it 3-2. His shot went through a screen on the power play. The Panthers pulled their goalie for the last 2:20 but couldn’t score as Toronto held on for the win.