3 takeaways from Maple Leafs' big comeback win and Gavin McKenna's breakout game

The Toronto Maple Leafs overcame two multi-goal deficits to defeat the Nashville Predators 5-4 in overtime on Tuesday night.

Gavin McKenna scored the first goal of his NHL career, while Auston Matthews had a four-point night, including the game-winning goal in overtime. John Tavares and William Nylander notched the other markers for the Leafs, while Anthony Stolarz stopped 21 of 25 shots.

Game four was eventful, to say the least, so let's get into it.

McKenna finally gets monkey off his back

Ok, so 'finally' might be a bit dramatic, but in Toronto, three games without a point is an eternity.

"When you're in the Toronto media, putting up zero points in three games, I think you hear about it. Maybe that's my welcome to the NHL," McKenna said after the morning skate on Tuesday.

With a two-point night against the Predators (a goal and an assist), he won't have to hear about it again. At least not until the next stretch of pointless hockey.

"It's a tough league and there's not a whole lot of time and space out there", McKenna said. "When you get those chances to find the middle of the ice, they don't come very often, so you've got to make sure you're there and you're ready when you get the chance."

This game was clearly the most comfortable the first overall pick has looked in his incredibly short career. There are still moments when he's trying to do too much with the puck, or thinks he has more time than he has. But he's evolving and progressing, and it was a matter of time before he broke through on the scoresheet.

"A big money off the back, that one felt good," McKenna said after the game. "That's a goal I'll obviously remember forever."

A tale of two periods for the Maple Leafs

The Maple Leafs entered Tuesday night 1-2-0 on the young season as they wrapped up a four-game home stand before heading West for a difficult three-game trip. They were down 3-0 after 23 minutes of hockey, and it looked like the narrative was going to be negative one before their date with the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday night.

However, four minutes after Nils Hoglander's 3-0 goal in the second period, it was 3-2, and the Leafs were right back in it, that is until Steven Stamkos stretched the lead to 4-2 at 13:30. 61 seconds after that, McKenna brought the game to within one, and we had a game entering the final period.

Aside from that goal from Stamkos, the Leafs stole the momentum from the Predators early in the middle frame and never looked back. Roslovic scored his first as a Maple Leaf to tie the game at 8:54 of the third, and Matthews sealed the victory with 14 seconds left in overtime.

Up until now, the offense has been a bit of a grind for Toronto. They scored only six goals in three games, and nothing has come easy. While they put themselves in a difficult position against Nashville, the floodgates finally opened, and they gave us a glimpse of how potent they can be offensively.

Matthews has the game we've all been waiting for

After scoring 69 goals in 81 games back in 2023-24, Matthews scored just 60 goals in 127 games over the last two seasons. This discourse surrounding the superstar was real. Can he stay healthy? Will he return to the elite goal scorer the Leafs need him to be? These were just some of the questions that faced the captain.

Early in preseason, it looked like Matthews could indeed be back. His shot looked deadly, and his presence on the ice looked like it had returned. But preseason is preseason. Well, after just one point in three games to start the season, Matthews had a vintage game on Tuesday, finishing with one goal, four points, and four shots on net.

"I thought he's been really good our whole camp," head coach Jim Hiller said. "He's been working on every puck, but tonight for me, he was a little bit different tonight."

The first 26 minutes were fine, but nothing special. However, after his assist on Nylander's power-play goal to make it 3-2, something clicked. He seemingly dominated every shift and had a big hand in every Leafs goal from then on out.

Obviously, the Leafs need him to be this version of himself. A gamebreaker who can take over a game at the drop of a hat. We'll worry about the rest of the season later, but for now, this is the game we all needed to see. No doubt Matthews needed to see it more than anyone.

"I don't think it was anything too fancy," said Matthews. "Other than the power-play goal, it was just work, winning battles, finding the open guys and then making plays as well. I thought the second half, we really just simplified our game and just decided not to lose battles, be first on pucks and outcompete the other team."

Up next for the Maple Leafs

The Maple Leafs start a three-game trip in Vegas on Thursday night. They will take on the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday and the Utah Mammoth on Tuesday, before heading back to Scotiabank Arena to host the Buffalo Sabres next Thursday.

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