Toronto centre Auston Matthews has been named the NHL鈥檚 first star of its opening week of the 2023-24 season after he posted hat tricks in the Maple Leafs鈥� first two games.
Vancouver Canucks centre Elias Pettersson took second-star honours after posting a goal and five assists in two games, while Pittsburgh centre Evgeni Malkin was named third star with two goals and four assists in three games.
Matthews became just the second player since the NHL鈥檚 inaugural 1917-18 campaign to record a hat trick in each of his first two games of a season.
He scored two of his three goals in the final five minutes of regulation to erase a two-goal deficit in Toronto鈥檚 season-opening 6-5 shootout win over Montreal on Wednesday.
Matthews followed that with three goals in a 7-4 win over Minnesota on Saturday.
Pettersson opened the season with a goal and three assists in Vancouver鈥檚 8-1 rout of visiting Edmonton on Wednesday, and followed with two assists in the Canucks鈥� 4-3 win in Saturday鈥檚 rematch in Edmonton.
Malkin鈥檚 week was highlighted by a two-goal, two-assist performance in a 4-0 win at Washington on Friday.
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