Maple Leafs top Predators 5-4 in OT; McKenna scores 1st NHL goal for Toronto

Auston Matthews scored at 4:46 of a chaotic overtime and added three assists in regulation as the Toronto Maple Leafs erased a 3-0 deficit to defeat the Nashville Predators 5-4 on Tuesday.

Matthews took a pass from William Nylander in the extra period to end a wild night at Scotiabank Arena.

Nylander, No. 1 overall pick Gavin McKenna — with his first as a professional — John Tavares and Jack Roslovic had the other goals for Toronto (2-2-0), which got 21 saves from Anthony Stolarz.

McKenna also picked up an assist on Tavares' goal for his first NHL point. Nylander chipped in two assists and Roslovic added one.

Steven Stamkos scored twice to move into 17th place on the NHL's all-time list for Nashville (1-1-1), while Nils Hoglander added two of his own. Juuse Saros made 33 stops. Filip Forsberg chipped in two assists.

Stamkos opened the scoring at 7:13 of the first period on a power play after Stolarz made a couple of huge stops. Nashville doubled its lead at 9:08 when Hoglander collected a rebound off the end boards and slotted it home before making it 3-0 at 3:03 of the second on another tap-in.

Tavares got Toronto going off the rush at 4:56 of the middle period — McKenna picked up the primary assist — and Nylander connected on a man advantage at 6:58 to make it 3-2. Stamkos scored his second to restore a two-goal lead at 13:30, but McKenna buried his first in the NHL just 61 seconds later.

Roslovic tied things at 8:54 of the third when he went bar down on Saros to set up the late drama that included Toronto failing to connect a 3-on-0 in OT before Matthews fired past Saros for the victory.

TAKEAWAYS

Maple Leafs: Colton Sissons played parts of 11 seasons with Nashville. The 32-year-old winger spent 2025-26 with the Vegas Golden Knights before signing with Toronto.

Predators: Stamkos broke a tie with Joe Sakic and Jarome Iginla on the league's all-time scoring list with his first-period goal — the 626th of his career — before adding another in the second. Dave Andreychuk sits 16th in NHL history with 640 career goals.

KEY MOMENT

McKenna took a pass from Matthews and ripped his first in the NHL upstairs on Saros at 14:31 of the second before dropping to one knee in celebration.

KEY STAT

Stamkos became the third active player to score 100 game-opening goals in his career. Alex Ovechkin leads with 154 followed by Sidney Crosby at 127. 

COMING UP

Predators: Visit the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday.

Maple Leafs: Visit the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 6, 2026.

By Joshua Clipperton | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.