Gavin McKenna needed four games to get on the NHL scoresheet. On Tuesday night against Nashville he got there twice, and both points came when Toronto needed them. The 18-year-old set up John Tavares for the Leafs' first goal and later scored his first NHL goal to cut a two-goal deficit to one. Auston Matthews finished the comeback with 14 seconds left in overtime, and Toronto won 5-4 at Scotiabank Arena.
The Leafs spent most of the night chasing. Steven Stamkos opened the scoring on a power play at 7:13 of the first period, and Nils Hoglander added another goal less than two minutes later. Hoglander scored again 3:03 into the second, and Nashville led 3-0. Coming into the game, Toronto was 1-2-0 and preparing for a road trip. Falling behind by three at home was a bad way to start.
The second-line rookie started the response. At 4:56 of the second, McKenna got the primary assist on Tavares' first goal of the season. It was his first NHL point. At 18 years and 290 days old, he became the youngest Leaf to record a first point since Drake Berehowsky in 1990. William Nylander then scored on the power play at 6:58, with Matthews assisting, and the gap was down to one.
Stamkos answered at 13:30 for a 4-2 lead. That goal mattered for him personally because it was his 626th, which moves him into sole possession of 17th on the NHL's all-time goals list. Toronto took only 61 seconds to respond. Matthews won a puck battle with Stamkos along the boards and passed to McKenna, who was open in the slot. McKenna beat Juuse Saros at 14:31 to make it 4-3. "A big monkey off the back, that one felt good," McKenna said afterward. "That's a goal I'll obviously remember forever."
The goal stood out because McKenna had played three quiet games before it. He had no points and had talked about how hard it was to get into the middle of the ice. "It's a tough league, and there's not a whole lot of time and space," he said before Tuesday's game. His goal came from that exact area. Coach Jim Hiller has kept McKenna with Tavares and Nylander since training camp, even when Hiller said publicly that the line "probably could do it better than they have." On Tuesday, that line produced its first real results.
Jack Roslovic tied the game at 8:54 of the third period, again with an assist from Matthews. Toronto appeared to go ahead when Nylander scored at 11:49, but Nashville challenged for offside and the goal was overturned. The game went to overtime. Saros stopped a Toronto 3-on-0, but Matthews scored the winner off a Nylander assist as the period was ending.
The comeback depended on Matthews, more than on McKenna's milestone. He finished with a goal and three assists and had a hand in four of Toronto's five goals. "From just a pure hockey perspective, to appreciate his game tonight, it was really a special night for him," Hiller said. Fantasy managers who were worried by Toronto's 1-2-0 start can relax about their first-round pick. Matthews was involved at even strength, on the power play and in overtime.
Nylander scored on the power play and set up the overtime winner, which keeps him a reliable option in all formats. Tavares' goal, assisted by McKenna, suggests the second line can create offence without help from the top unit. Before the game, Toronto's power play was converting at 18.2 percent, which ranked 18th. Nylander's goal with the extra skater is an early sign that the unit, which now includes newcomer Kirill Marchenko, can do better than that.
The night was less useful for Anthony Stolarz's fantasy managers. He got the win but allowed four goals, two of them before the game was 10 minutes old. Nashville's coach, Andrew Brunette, and Stamkos both said their team's penalties let Toronto back into the game. In other words, the early part of this game was not a good one for Toronto's defence. Stolarz still collects a win in leagues that count them, but his ratios took a hit.
The bigger question for managers is McKenna himself. He was the first overall pick after scoring 51 points in 35 games at Penn State last season, and he is getting second-line minutes with two established scorers. One game is not a trend. Still, the way he produced on Tuesday matters: a primary assist and a goal from the slot. Those are the plays that were missing from his first three games. In redraft leagues where he was dropped or never drafted, he is worth a look as a bench stash while Hiller keeps him on the Tavares-Nylander line. In dynasty leagues, managers who held him did not need a reason to keep doing so, but they have one now.
Toronto is now 2-2-0 and heads out on its road trip. McKenna arrives with his first NHL goal already scored.