It was Matthews' first hat trick since he scored four goals in his NHL debut against the Ottawa Senators on Oct. 12, 2016.
"My linemates made some unbelievable plays to get me the puck tonight, so I just tried to put it in," Matthews said. "Overall, we wanted to have a good bounce back game (after an 8-4 loss to the Florida Panthers on Sunday). There was a bit of a lull in the second period, some stuff we'd like to clean up and do better, but all in all, nice to get back in the win column."
WATCH: [All Devils vs. Maple Leafs highlights]
Rasmus Sandin had two assists in his first NHL game since Oct. 12, John Tavares had a goal and two assists, and Frederik Andersen made 25 saves for the Maple Leafs (25-16-6), who had lost three straight (0-2-1).
"I feel confident out there, I feel like I know all the guys a little bit more, too, so that helps," said Sandin, who was recalled Monday after Morgan Rielly fractured his foot against the Panthers that will keep him out at least eight weeks. "It's great when those two shots result in goals. Those shots weren't the hardest, but they got a stick on it and that helped our team."
Blake Coleman had a hat trick for the Devils (17-22-7), who had won two in a row. Louis Domingue allowed five goals on 19 shots before being replaced in the second period by Cory Schneider, who made 13 saves.
"Not the setting I pictured it in, but it's always special to get your first hat trick. That's the kind of line we have around our team, which is to never give up and keep pushing, so that's why I got it," Coleman said. "We want to see push back in games like this, but it's also fairly frustrating. Playing good hockey of late, (but) we didn't show up for a period and a half, myself included. For whatever reason, we were flat and a good team like that can make you pay pretty quickly."
