Auston Matthews vs. Senators: Stats, Highlights and Reaction

Welcome to the NHL, Auston Matthews.

In his first regular-season game since the Toronto Maple Leafs selected him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NHL draft, the 19-year-old American phenom netted four goals in his team's 5-4 overtime loss to the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday night.

According to ESPN.com's Pierre LeBrun, Matthews became the first player in NHL history to score four goals in the first game of his career.

Matthews' four tallies immediately thrust him into elite goal-scoring territory, per ESPN Stats & Info:

To put that accomplishment into perspective, the Elias Sports Bureau (via ESPN Stats & Info) noted the only other players to record hat tricks in their NHL debuts were Real Cloutier, Fabian Brunnstrom and Derek Stepan.

The California native got the party started eight minutes into the first period, and that was just the beginning of what evolved into an epic opening statement:

With less than six minutes remaining in the opening frame, he took control of the puck in the neutral zone and coasted toward the goal before netting his second of the game with a pinpoint shot past Craig Anderson:

TSN's Darren Dreger took note of Matthews' stellar composure in the neutral zone, which helped knot the game at 2-2.

At that point, it was time for his Wikipedia entry to receive an upgrade or two, as Cespedes Family Barbecue and Business Insider's Dr. Cork Gaines shared:

"

Auston Matthews' Wikipedia page. pic.twitter.com/zCPtJgb9nq

— Dr Cork Gaines (@CorkGaines) October 13, 2016"

The Associated Press' Tim Reynolds joked that Matthews will soon cement his status as one of the NHL's greatest players of all time if he continues to pile up goals at an absurd rate:

And continue to score, he did.

Matthews had a hat trick less than two minutes into the second period, when he etched his name into the record book with a one-time finish off a slick feed from Morgan Rielly:

The show-stopping debut rolled on, and Matthews secured his fourth goal of the game with three seconds remaining in the second period:

Following one of the most impressive single-game performances in recent memory, Dallas Stars center Tyler Seguin and Carolina Hurricanes winger Viktor Stalberg tweeted out their reactions to Matthews' effort:

Considering Calgary Flames center Sam Bennett recorded the NHL's lone four-goal game last season, according to ESPN Stats & Info, Matthews' stat-stuffing prowess was even more impressive.

While he's sure to slow down in the weeks ahead, Matthews provided a glimpse of what could be a prosperous future for the Maple Leafs.

With a showdown against the Boston Bruins for Toronto's home opener looming Saturday, all eyes figure to be on Matthews when he hits the ice at Air Canada Centre for the first time.

Postgame Reaction

Following the game, the Maple Leafs' official Twitter account snapped a photo to celebrate Matthews' historic performance: 

Meanwhile, the Toronto Star's Bruce Arthur reported that Matthews showed impressive maturity for a player his age: 

"Since I’ve been Leafs coach, that’s the best night I’ve had here by ten miles, not even close," head coach Mike Babcock said, according to TSN's Kristen Shilton. "Because now we have an opportunity." 

"You don't get too many of those games," Matthews added, per LeBrun. "It's just one game. Take it, move forward, and focus on the next one. It just happened to be a great night individually, and especially for our line."