Auston Matthews was a man possessed on Thursday night, recording a natural hat trick in under nine minutes and helping his Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Philadelphia Flyers 4-3 at Scotiabank Arena.

The Leafs were down 1-0 in the second period before Matthews went on a heater, potting three quick goals to give his team the lead. William Nylander would score the overtime winner to earn Toronto two points.

The superstar American is up to a ridiculous 45 goals in 51 games, and is looking like a shoo-in to win his third Rocket Richard trophy. The 26-year-old also made impressive franchise history after scoring the hat trick.

Matthews passed Leafs legend Darryl Sittler by recording his 72nd career multi-goal game; he's also the first Leafs player to score a natural hat trick at home since Wendel Clark did it against the Edmonton Oilers back in 1996, per Sportsnet Stats.

That's some pretty impressive company for one of the greatest goal scorers of his generation.

Show goes on for Auston Matthews

Matthews continues to roll, and he's looking to become the first player to score 70 goals in a season since Teemu Selanne and Alexander Mogilny each scored 76 in 1992-93. The Leafs superstar is on a 71-goal pace through 51 games.

“Best goal-scorer in the league,” Nylander said after scoring the overtime winner 54 seconds into the extra frame. “I don’t know what else to tell you.”

Despite the Flyers tightening up defensively considerably in 2023-24 — and sitting in a top-three spot in the Metropolitan Division — Matthews would not be denied on Thursday.

“They’re a really stingy team,” he explained. “Just trying to work them shift after shift and eventually getting those opportunities.”

It's been another incredible season for Auston Matthews, who is looking again like the best 5-on-5 goal scorer in the National Hockey League. He continues to lead the way offensively for a Leafs team that is having no trouble scoring goals.

The former No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NHL Draft continues to chase a Stanley Cup in Toronto, and the hope in Leafland is that he can continue this incredible production in the postseason.

The Leafs host the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday night before embarking on a four-game road trip that begins Monday in St. Louis.