What Happened
William Nylander scored twice and added three assists for a career-high-tying five points as the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Colorado Avalanche 6-3 on Saturday night in Denver. Nylander and Easton Cowan scored 46 seconds apart late in the second period to put Toronto ahead for good. Auston Matthews contributed two goals and two assists, while Nathan MacKinnon scored twice for Colorado in the Avalanche's first home loss of the season.
Key Details
- Nylander finished with two goals and three assists, tying his career high with five points.
- Matthews recorded two goals and two assists for Toronto.
- Cowan's one-timer off a Morgan Reilly pass at 17:33 of the second gave Toronto the lead.
- MacKinnon scored twice; Brock Nelson also scored for Colorado.
- Blackwood stopped 16 shots in his first loss of the season.
- Colorado went 0 for 5 on the power play, including eight seconds of a 5-on-3.
What It Means
The result handed Colorado its first loss in three home games and kept Toronto alternating wins and losses to open the season. Nylander's five-point night matched his career best, while Matthews' four-point game provided secondary scoring. Colorado's power play, which had not allowed a goal this season before Nylander's second-period marker, went scoreless on five chances, including a brief 5-on-3.