TORONTO, ON - NOVEMBER 28: Mitch Marner #16 of the Toronto Maple Leafs shoots against Aaron Dell #30 of the San Jose Sharks during the third period at the Scotiabank Arena on November 28, 2018 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Matthews lauds Leafs equipment manager's 'third assist'

Josh Gold-Smith
Mark Blinch / National Hockey League / Getty

Auston Matthews stole the show with two goals and an assist in his return to the lineup Wednesday night, but an unlikely source provided another crucial helper that didn't show up in the boxscore.

Toronto Maple Leafs assistant equipment manager Bobby Hastings chipped in by handing Mitch Marner a new stick on the fly to facilitate John Tavares' late first-period goal in a 5-3 victory over the San Jose Sharks.

"Third assist!" Matthews joked postgame to reporters, including TSN's Mark Masters. "Put it on the scoresheet. That was unbelievable. The second that puck hit Mitch's stick (Hastings) had (a new stick) right over my head ready for him."

Here's a look at how it unfolded:

Marner initially tried to pretend his stick didn't break but Hastings knew, according to Masters.

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