Just what the doctor ordered. Auston Matthews recorded a four-point game, and Gavin McKenna scored his first NHL goal and assist as the Toronto Maple Leafs stormed back from a three-goal deficit to defeat the Nashville Predators 5-4 in overtime.
It’s only game #4 of a gruelingly long 84-game 2026-27 NHL season, but I’d venture to guess this will be one of the more memorable games the Leafs play all year. They fell behind 3-0, cut the deficit to 3-2, conceded again, tied it at four, thought they had taken a 5-4 lead only to have it overturned on review, and then won it in the dying moments of overtime. Needless to say, there is plenty to unpack.
The first period started reasonably well for the Leafs. Colton Sissons generated a deflection opportunity off a pass from Easton Cowan before Jack Roslovic set up Kirill Marchenko with a great pass in tight. Marchenko had an exposed cage, but the puck rolled off his stick before he could tuck it past Juuse Saros.
The Predators finally generated a dangerous look when David Edstrom slipped behind Chris Tanev for a partial breakaway. Anthony Stolarz made the stop, but Morgan Rielly was called for tripping not long afterward.
That first Nashville power play completely flipped the feel of the period, which is becoming a bit of an early-season theme for the Leafs: They’ve struggled to recapture momentum after taking penalties.
The Predators hemmed the Leafs in for essentially the entire 1:42 of power-play time. Toronto had multiple opportunities to clear and failed to do so, including Brandon Duhaime’s failed clearance shortly before the eventual goal. Nashville maintained possession, worked it around sharply, and peppered Stolarz. The Leafs’ goaltender made a terrific save on a cross-seam pass from Filip Forsberg to Steven Stamkos, but he couldn’t hold them off forever as Stamkos eventually finished the sequence.
At 1-0 Nashville, the complexion of the period completely changed. The goal jumpstarted the Predators, who began asserting themselves at five-on-five and doubled their lead less than two minutes later.
A sloppy D-to-D play on a retrieval between Jake McCabe and Chris Tanev saw the Leafs chasing the play as Nashville worked it back to Adam Wilsby at the point, where his shot went wide but kicked perfectly to Hoglander for a tap-in. Tanev fell over after getting tangled up in front, leaving two Predators alone at the doorstep.
By this point, the Predators were firmly in control. They kept knocking on the door, generating looks for Ryan O’Reilly and Matthew Wood that Stolarz turned aside. Toronto pushed back a little toward the end of the period, but the Leafs had clearly lost their early momentum after the penalty and the two quick goals against.
A potential momentum-builder arrived late in the period when Jonathan Marchessault was called for tripping Teddy Blueger, leaving Toronto with a carryover power play to begin the second. It provided no springboard whatsoever; the first unit couldn’t gain the zone or establish possession, while the second unit managed some offensive-zone time without producing a shot.
Not long after the power play expired, the Predators capitalized on an all-time bad shift from Oliver Ekman-Larsson. OEL whiffed on a pass, turning the puck over, and after Forsberg drove the net and Stolarz made the initial stop, Ekman-Larsson failed to clear the loose puck in the crease. Hoglander pounced on it for his second of the night.
Down 3-0 early in the second period, the Leafs badly needed a spark. John Tavares provided it, taking a pass from Gavin McKenna, exploding down the wing through the neutral zone, gaining the offensive zone, and wiring a shot past Saros for Toronto’s first goal. It was McKenna’s first NHL point and a badly needed shot in the arm for a Leafs team that suddenly had some life.
Less than a minute later, Jack Drury was called for hooking, giving Toronto an opportunity to build on it. This power play was significantly better. The top unit zipped the puck around and generated several looks on Saros. After several chances between Tavares and Nylander, Kirill Marchenko found Nylander in the slot, who moved it over to Auston Matthews. Matthews’ shot was stopped, but the rebound kicked directly to Nylander, who buried it.
Suddenly, it was 3-2, and the Leafs kept pushing as the middle portion of the period wore on, while Jim Hiller fired up the line blender and experimented with several combinations, including reuniting Nylander and Matthews.
Despite Toronto carrying the momentum, Nashville struck next. A loss in neutral-zone structure from the top line allowed the Predators to transition quickly, leaving Morgan Rielly and Darren Raddysh defending a rush with speed and space around them. Stamkos’ short-side goal past Stolarz’s glove was one he might want back.
To the Leafs’ credit, they responded to the adversity immediately. Jack Roslovic made a terrific play to hold the offensive zone and filter the puck into the corner, where Matthews won possession before finding McKenna in the slot. The rookie wasted no time, ripping a shot past Saros for his first career NHL goal and bringing Scotiabank Arena roaring back to life.
At 4-3, the Leafs earned another power play shortly afterward but couldn’t capitalize. Saros then stood tall on late chances for Troy Stecher in transition and Roslovic flying down the wing, preserving Nashville’s one-goal advantage entering the third.
The third period belonged to Toronto. It was played entirely at five-on-five, where the Leafs controlled a 19-10 advantage in shot attempts, 12-6 in shots, 6-4 in scoring chances, and 5-1 in high-danger chances, according to Natural Stat Trick.
One of Toronto’s better early looks came when McKenna found Nick Paul in tight, but Paul couldn’t solve Saros. The tying goal eventually arrived with Hiller’s reconfigured top line on the ice. Nylander found Matthews, who threaded a beautiful pass down low to Roslovic all alone. Roslovic showed the finish Paul couldn’t earlier, deftly flipping the puck over Saros’ shoulder.
At 4-4, over 11 minutes remained in regulation, leaving plenty of time for either team to find a winner. For a moment, the Leafs thought they had. Matthews found Nylander off the entry, and the Swede dragged the puck into shooting position before ripping it past Saros. The finish was sublime; the entry wasn’t clean, though. Nashville challenged the play, and the review showed that ROR’s pressure from behind caused Matthews to briefly lose control of the puck. That delay was enough for Nylander’s skates to cross the blue line a fraction too early. Offside. No goal.
Neither team found the winner after the reversal. Nashville generated a few good shifts through the Stamkos-O’Reilly line, while Marchenko had an A+ chance off a Tavares setup that Saros shut down. Duhaime found Marchenko for another look later on, but Nashville’s goaltender continued to stand tall.
Despite opportunities at both ends, the score remained tied through 60 minutes, sending the game to overtime. The extra period was fittingly chaotic.
Matthews lost the opening draw to ROR, and the Leafs struggled to recover possession for the better part of two minutes. Stamkos and Wood both generated chances that were denied before the ice gradually started tilting Toronto’s way. Then came one of the more absurd sequences you’ll see in three-on-three overtime: a legitimate 3-on-0 with Matthews, Cowan, and Rielly. It had a hesitant look to it from jump — turns out 3-on-0s don’t come around too often? — as they went in as a unit instead of sending Matthews in alone, and Cowan chose to shoot unsuccessfully when a return pass to Matthews was a likely backdoor tap-in.
As the clock ticked down, it appeared the game might require a shootout, but Nylander had other ideas. He stripped Roman Josi of the puck, drove to the slot, and created a scramble that sent the puck bouncing to the side of the crease, where Matthews was waiting.
The Leafs’ captain snapped it home with 14 seconds remaining, completing his four-point game and the comeback and sending the Scotiabank Arena crowd home buzzing.
Whew. 5-4 final.
Post-Game Notes
- It’s been a calendar year of too few signature Matthews games, and while McKenna’s milestone will naturally grab the headlines, that’s maybe the biggest takeaway of the night: This was a bit of a Matthews-of-old style statement night; a four-point game in which he was the best player on the ice, at least in the final two periods. You don’t want it to wait until the score is 3-0 down, but the Leafs’ difference-makers were their difference-makers, and Matthews drove the bus. The standard is such that he’s expected to do this consistently — not four points every night, obviously, but to tilt the ice regularly, and generate momentum and chances for his team on his own if and when he has to. He was winning battles and dishing out looks for his linemates before it was time to bear down himself in OT. On a night when the shutdown defense pair wasn’t at its best, the team is reeling a bit, and four go past Anthony Stolarz, you need your captain and your stars to go off and win some games 5-4. Especially after scoring two apiece for three games as you’re staring down the barrel of a 1-3-0 start on home ice before heading to Vegas, Colorado, and Utah. This felt like an important early-season win and important early-season performance for #34, as early-season wins and performances go.
- Besides McKenna and Matthews’ big nights on the scoresheet, the biggest talking point coming out of this game is the line blender, particularly the return of Matthews and Nylander together. The Leafs’ most-used five-on-five combination was still Matthews with Marchenko and Roslovic, but Matthews-Roslovic-Nylander played over three minutes together, while Matthews-Marchenko-Nylander played just under two. Both combinations looked dangerous, and there is plenty of logic behind the idea of simply putting Matthews and Nylander together and letting them run for a bit. Last season, putting Matthews and Nylander would have left the team in a situation where that line essentially had to score two or three goals because there wasn’t enough offense behind it. This roster just might be different, or at least, it’s worth finding out if it is. Between Marchenko, Tavares, McKenna, Cowan, Roslovic, and Paul, Hiller might not have to feel as though he’s robbing Peter to pay Paul every time he loads up his best center and best winger combination. Matthews and Nylander have a natural pace and directness together that was immediately noticeable tonight. Both can transport the puck, both threaten off the rush, and Nylander’s shooting threat makes it much harder for opponents to simply load up defensively on Matthews. Given what we saw in this game, it feels increasingly like it should be a matter of when, not if, they receive a legitimate run together. It’s easy to forget they outscored the opposition 76-47 together at five-on-five when Hiller was in Toronto as an assistant coach, although I doubt Hiller has.
- McKenna spent nearly half of his five-on-five minutes with Tavares and Nylander and the other half alongside Colton Sissons and Nick Paul. During the line blending, Cowan bumped up alongside Tavares and Nylander. Both combinations had some success, giving Hiller plenty to think about; it may continue to be a situational call as to which youngster plays on L2, but the good news is that Paul and Sissons are at least providing enough reason to think that whichever plays down there isn’t completely left twisting in the wind.
- McKenna’s first NHL goal and two-point night will naturally be what this game is most remembered for. There are still moments when he overhandles the puck and skates himself into bad spots, but the high-end skill was on full display tonight, and the first point immediately (naturally) went to his legs. He’s known primarily as a playmaker, but the shot he wired past Saros was a legit goal-scorer’s goal. That’s a stylish way to score your first, set up by the captain to boot.
- It’ll get lost in the McKenna and Matthews headlines, but John Tavares getting the comeback started with a great individual effort/shot while winning 94% of his draws and handily winning his five-on-five minutes by the possession metrics was quietly just what the doctor ordered after a slow start.
- The Leafs’ first power play was a complete dud, but the next two were significantly sharper. The unit ultimately finished 1-for-3, and the coaching staff should be reasonably pleased with the progression over the course of the night. The penalty kill faced only one Nashville power play, but they conceded their first of the season due to some blown clearances that got them chasing. The bigger issue right now is how the Leafs transition out of special teams; they’re struggling to recapture or resume momentum at five-on-five if a penalty happens or a power play falters.
- That issue is somewhat undoing what has been a pretty strong start at five-on-five. One of the worst possession teams in the league last season, the Leafs controlled 60% of the shot attempts in this game; they’re at 53% on the season through four games. We can see them start to put together sequences of multiple shifts where they build momentum and tilt the ice; often, a penalty flips the tables on them right now. You can also easily spot the increased freedom they’ve been afforded to make plays with the puck through the middle of the ice and at the lines. It is perhaps backfiring in the form of bad-area turnovers a little more than the coaching staff would be comfortable with at the moment, but some of it is natural with the short camp/preseason, so many new faces, and a new system. We can say at least this much so far: It’s certainly more entertaining.
Game Flow: 5v5 Shot Attempts
Heat Map: 5v5 Shot Attempts
