Overview
- The Maple Leafs, which beat the San Jose Sharks Monday, ended a three-game losing streak when rookie Gavin McKenna scored a third-period power-play goal that proved to be the game-winner.
- McKenna’s goal was his first NHL power-play tally and first game-winner, his third goal of the season and a quick response after he was benched earlier in the week.
- Auston Matthews had a goal and two assists while Sergei Bobrovsky made 30 saves to record his first home victory since joining Toronto, stabilizing the net after recent uneven starts.
- Toronto’s special teams were decisive: the Leafs entered the game with the NHL’s top penalty kill and successfully denied all four San Jose power plays while converting twice on the man advantage.
- Monday’s results fit a wider early-season pattern of short streaks shaping narratives around teams, with the Rangers extending an unbeaten home run and the Flyers pulling off an upset over Colorado.