Gavin McKenna scores first NHL goal as Maple Leafs rally past Predators
The 18-year-old first overall pick also had an assist in Toronto's 5-4 overtime victory against the Nashville Predators.
TORONTO — Gavin McKenna scored his first NHL goal and added his first assist as the Toronto Maple Leafs rallied to defeat the Nashville Predators 5-4 in overtime on Tuesday.
The 18-year-old, selected first overall by Toronto in the 2026 NHL Draft, had gone without a point in his first three professional games.
"I started creating a little bit more and just feeling more comfortable," McKenna said Tuesday morning before the game. "It's just been a process every game, just trying to nitpick things and learn from each play and each shift."
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McKenna cut Nashville's lead to 4-3 at 14:31 of the second period, taking a pass from Auston Matthews and beating goaltender Juuse Saros with a high shot from the right face-off dot before dropping to one knee in celebration at Scotiabank Arena.
He had earlier assisted on a goal by John Tavares for his first NHL point.
Auston Matthews scored the winner with 14 seconds left in overtime, putting in the rebound of a William Nylander shot.
Matthews finished with four points, including three assists. Nylander had a goal and two assists, and Jack Roslovic had a goal and an assist for the Maple Leafs (2-2-0). Anthony Stolarz made 21 saves.
Steven Stamkos and Nils Hoglander each scored twice for the Predators (1-1-1). Juuse Saros stopped 33 shots.
McKenna entered the game averaging 14 minutes 32 seconds of ice time with three shots on target and a minus-3 rating.
He said he was not concerned about his slow start offensively.
"Not where you want to be," McKenna said. "But at the end of the day, I've been on many streaks where I've put up no points, had a tough start to college last year, and started to figure things out there. Just sticking with it, being confident."
The Maple Leafs missed the playoffs for the first time in a decade last spring before winning the draft lottery and the right to select McKenna.
The Whitehorse product was one of several new faces to arrive in Toronto during the off season, which included the additions of goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, defenceman Darren Raddysh and winger Kirill Marchenko.
McKenna tore up the Canadian Hockey League before spending the 2025-26 season in the NCAA at Penn State.
Roslovic tied the game 4-4 at 8:54 of the third period, taking a pass from Matthews and lifting a shot over Saros' glove.
Nylander had a goal disallowed at 11:49 of the third after a successful offside challenge by Nashville.
The Predators built a 3-0 lead on two goals from Hoglander and one from Stamkos before Tavares and Nylander scored to pull Toronto within one.
Stamkos scored his second of the game to make it 4-2 before McKenna's milestone goal.
Garbutt Disposal reported on Oct. 1 that McKenna's NHL debut came against the New York Islanders and fellow top pick Matthew Schaefer.
The Maple Leafs have had each of their four games this season decided by one goal.
With files from The Canadian Press, Sportsnet and Yahoo Sports