McKenna scores first NHL goal as Matthews ends it in overtime, Leafs beat Predators 5-4
Gavin McKenna scored his first NHL goal as Toronto came back from 4-2 down to beat Nashville 5-4 in overtime, with Auston Matthews' winner at 4:46 of the extra period.
Gavin McKenna scored his first NHL goal on 6 October as Toronto came back from 4-2 down to beat Nashville 5-4 in overtime. Auston Matthews won it at 4:46 of the extra period, and he finished the night with four points.
How it unfolded
Nashville led 2-0 after one period, with Steven Stamkos scoring at 7:13 and Nils Hoglander at 9:08. Hoglander made it 3-0 at 3:03 of the second period. Toronto began its answer at 4:56, when John Tavares scored with McKenna and Anthony Stolarz credited with assists. William Nylander pulled Toronto within a goal at 6:58, and Stamkos restored a two-goal lead at 13:30. McKenna answered 61 seconds later, at 14:31, to make it 4-3.
Jack Roslovic tied the game at 8:54 of the third period. Matthews then won it in overtime with 14 seconds left, NHL.com notes. Matthews assisted on three of the four Toronto goals that came before his own, on the Nylander, McKenna and Roslovic strikes.
McKenna's first point
NHL.com reports that McKenna, 18, had gone three games without a point before this one, and that he became the youngest Maple Leafs player to record a point, at 18 years, 290 days. His regular-season debut came on 29 September, a 3-2 loss to Montreal, per NHL.com.
He beat Saros with a shot from above the right face-off dot, NHL.com reports. McKenna told NHL.com:
“A big monkey off the back, that one felt good. That's a goal I'll obviously remember forever.”
Toronto coach Hiller called it “a goal-scorer's goal,” per NHL.com.
The numbers behind it
| Stat | Toronto | Nashville |
|---|---|---|
| Shots | 37 | 25 |
| Faceoff win % | 64.2 | 35.8 |
| Power play | 1/3 | 1/1 |
| Hits | 20 | 22 |
| Blocked shots | 11 | 16 |
| Giveaways | 14 | 20 |
Standout performers
Matthews finished with 1 goal, 3 assists and 4 points. Hoglander scored twice, both backhands, and Filip Forsberg added 2 assists. Stamkos had 2 goals and 2 points, scoring at 7:13 and 13:30. All four Nashville goals came from those two players, and Forsberg set up both of Hoglander's. Roman Josi, Matthew Wood, Ryan O'Reilly, Brady Skjei, Adam Wilsby and Mavrik Bourque collected the other Nashville assists.
Where both teams stood
| Team | Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toronto | 29 September | Montreal | Loss 2-3 |
| Toronto | 30 September | NY Islanders | Win 2-1 |
| Toronto | 3 October | Ottawa | Loss 2-3 |
| Nashville | 2 October | Minnesota | Loss 1-3 |
| Nashville | 4 October | Dallas | Win 2-1 |
The overtime win moved Toronto to two wins from four regular-season games.
Elsewhere on Tuesday
McKenna was not the only story of the night. Alexis Lafreniere scored a hat trick, two of the goals into an empty net, and added an assist as the Rangers beat the Islanders 5-2 for their fourth straight win, NHL.com reports. Islanders goalie Semyon Varlamov, per NHL.com, made 19 saves in his first NHL game since 29 November 2024, a gap of 676 days, after having each knee partially replaced. “I had a great experience today playing the game again at NHL level,” he told NHL.com.
Nick Schmaltz had a goal and two assists in Utah's 5-3 win over the Devils, stretching his season-opening goal streak to four games; NHL.com says he leads the league with five goals and seven points. In Detroit, Dylan Larkin, back after missing two games with an upper-body injury and after requesting a trade, was booed on his first shift, then cheered after scoring in the 13th minute of a 5-3 win over Ottawa, per ESPN.