William Nylander found himself at the center of the action in the Toronto Maple Leafs' much-needed win over the St. Louis Blues, both for better and for worse.
The star winger delivered the night's most electrifying highlight-reel moment, showcasing the skill that has come to define his game, but he was also involved in a miscue that made its way onto the wrong side of the reel.
Still, in a game Toronto desperately needed to win, Nylander's impact was undeniable as the Leafs secured an important 3-2 overtime victory over the Blues that snapped a five-game losing streak.
The Maple Leafs were missing Auston Matthews, Chris Tanev, Scott Laughton, Nicolas Roy, and Anthony Stolarz to injury, while Matthew Knies joined them with a last-minute injury designation. The pregame outlook was grim, but Nylander played a key role in the Leafs' win.
Nylander and Leafs overcome ominous start in victory o'ver the Blues
After being called out by general manager Brad Treliving earlier in the day, the Leafs and Nylander had an unfortunate start versus St. Louis. Less than two minutes into the first period, Nylander attempted to swat a puck away from danger in front of Leafs' goaltender Joseph Woll.
Instead, the Maple Leafs' star winger batted the puck past Woll and gave the Blues the early lead. It continued a bad habit of letting the opposition score the game's first goal, something the Leafs have struggled with this season.
Nylander and the Maple Leafs managed to rebound from the deflating start and responded to being called out by Treliving earlier in the day. The Leafs' GM used words like "vanilla" and "disconnect" in discussing the team's plight at the quarter-pole of the 2025-26 season.
The Maple Leafs couldn't hold on to a 2-1, second-period lead as the Blues tied it on a power play goal by Dalibor Dvorksy with just under seven minutes remaining in the period. St. Louis carried most of the play during the latter stages of the game, but Woll made some timely saves to get the Leafs to overtime.
It was then, after a mostly dull extra session, that Nylander brought Leafs' fans out of their seats with his spectacular game-winning goal. After John Tavares occupied the attention of three Blues' players, he deftly slid a pass to defenseman Morgan Rielly, who found Nylander on the off wing.
The Maple Leafs' winger then made a series of moves that few players in the NHL could pull off, and tucked the puck behind Blues' goalie Jordan Binnington for the overtime winner, earning Toronto an important two points.
With the goal, Nylander extended his points streak to fourteen games (eight goals, 15 assists). He leads the Maple Leafs in scoring with 27 points in 17 games (nine goals, 18 assists) and is tied for third in NHL scoring.
The polarizing Nylander has always been a source of conversation during his time in Toronto. On this night, both ends of the spectrum were on display. In the end, the right-winger's skill sent the Maple Leafs to victory and a hope that they can turn their season around.