Auston Matthews and the boys just pulled off another dramatic W, and this one had all the vibes of a playoff classic under the lights at Scotiabank Arena. A few hours ago, Max Domi turned into the OT legend of the night, netting the game-winner at 3:09 after grabbing a clean drop pass from Simon Benoit and cutting through the slot like he was slicing through silk. With a flick of the wrist, he sent the puck sailing past Linus Ullmark’s blocker, sealing the Leafs’ 3-2 win over the Senators and putting them up 2-0 in the best-of-seven. It wasn’t just Domi bringing the fire—John Tavares had himself a night too, notching a goal and a slick assist, while Morgan Rielly jumped in with the opener and Anthony Stolarz turned away 26 shots like a brick wall in net.

Ottawa did their best to claw back, even outshooting the Leafs 13-3 in the second and tying things late, but Toronto kept cool under pressure and came out on top once again. And while all that drama was still simmering, the NHL rulebook decided to stir the pot even more by calling out Auston Matthews for what fans saw as nothing but a respectful, sportsman-like moment.

So here’s the scoop, straight from the playoff drama files: Scouting The Refs hopped onto X and posted a cheeky little GIF-style clip of Auston Matthews mid-game magic—caught casually flicking his stick to pass a new twig over to his teammate. Yup, you read that right. From the boards, Matthews coolly flipped a stick over using his own like some lowkey wizard, but suddenly—boom—the NHL rulebook wanted to crash the party. Under Rule 10.3, it says clear as day: “A player will be penalized if he throws or shoots a stick to a teammate.” And just like that, folks on the internet hit DEFCON Leafs mode and flooded the replies with takes.

One fan didn’t hold back, chiming in with, “True but there is no way they’re calling this in the playoffs in a close game lol.” And honestly, they had a point—because this wasn’t just any night at the rink. It’s the playoffs. The stakes were sky-high, the scoreboard was tied, and overtime had the entire city holding its breath. And now, with the Matthews stick toss being dissected like it’s a crime scene, fans aren’t backing down. Nope—they’re bringing out the receipts and the sass, defending him left and right.

Fans were not hesitating to defend Auston Matthews!

Another fan jumped into the convo like, hold up, reminding everyone, “Crosby has done this several times in the past without penalty. Matthews and Marner have also done this before. I get it’s a rule, but in situations like this, it is never called.” And honestly, they weren’t wrong. I mean, Sidney Crosby’s stick work is legendary—normally he’s slicing defenses or threading the puck like a magician, not slinging twigs across the ice. But turns out, the guy’s just as smooth when it comes to, well… stick deliveries. Only thing? That little delivery service move? Yeah, technically not allowed. Rulebook says nope.

Even if it looks chill, a rogue stick zipping through the air can turn real sketchy real quick—think of it like a flying javelin on skates. Players and refs already have to dodge pucks and stray elbows, so tossing another hazard into the mix? Not ideal. And while Sid nailed the stick pass like a pro back in 2015, let’s be real—not everyone’s gonna pull it off that clean. And like another fan summed it up perfectly: “Seen this called and not called many times just depends on who the ref is.” So basically, it’s less about the rule and more about the vibe of the night, the stripes on the ice, and maybe a little playoff pixie dust.

Another fan tossed their thoughts into the mix, dropping, “The issue with that rule is they haven’t called it like ever, so they especially can’t start calling it now.” And honestly? That tracks. ‘Cause rewind just a bit to that wild Leafs vs. Blue Jackets game back in January—Columbus stomped through with a 5-1 win, sure, but the real chaos? Came when both Auston Matthews and Elvis Merzlikins ended up in a total gear swap moment mid-game. Like, Elvis grabbed Matthews’ stick, Matthews had to rock the goalie gear for a hot sec, and Coach Craig Berube summed it up best with, “That was a weird exchange. I’ll tell you that.” Weird? Yup. Illegal? Apparently not enough to blow a whistle.

Fast forward to playoff mode, and oof—it’s spicy. Leafs vs. Sens in the Battle of Ontario, and Matthews was not playing nice. In the heat of it all, after Ridly Greig shoved John Tavares in the head and only caught a 2-minute minor (yeah, not a 5!), Matthews decided to express his feelings… by snatching Greig’s stick and snapping it like a twig. As David Pagnotta wrote, “Greig almost went into the Leafs bench… Matthews grabbed his stick from him and broke it after Greig skated back to the Sens bench.” Petty? Maybe. Poetic justice? Probably. And fans weren’t shy, either—they came in swinging with, “Clearly the rule book doesn’t matter.” So what’s your take on it? Let us know in the comments!