McCabe evens the game at 1 with a shot from deep
William Nylander scored with just 54 seconds left in overtime, giving the Toronto Maple Leafs a 3-2 win over the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday at Scotiabank Arena. The victory ended Toronto’s five-game losing streak and extended Nylander’s personal point streak to 14 games.
Nylander’s Clutch OT Goal
With two defenders closing in, John Tavares delivered a backheel pass to Morgan Rielly, who sent a cross-ice feed to Nylander. Nylander deked around Dylan Holloway and tucked the puck past Jordan Binnington to secure the win.
“I think it was a nice win after the tough stretch we’ve had,” Nylander said. “Just battling and competing to grind out a win, it was nice.”
Key Contributions and Team Effort
Jake McCabe and Steven Lorentz also scored, while Joseph Woll made 28 saves, earning his first win of the season in just his second start.
“It was pretty sweet to win at home, especially in overtime,” Woll said. “I try to take it all in.”
Despite injuries to Matthew Knies, Auston Matthews, Scott Laughton, Nicolas Roy, Brandon Carlo, Chris Tanev, and Anthony Stolarz, Toronto showed resilience. Forward Sammy Blais left in the third period with an upper-body injury.
Blues Open the Scoring
St. Louis struck first at 1:50 of the first period. A shot by Nathan Walker was blocked, and the puck accidentally deflected off Nylander into the net.
“We almost laughed it off,” Lorentz said. “It showed how our recent games have gone, but we bounced back.”
Maple Leafs Respond
McCabe tied the score 1-1 at 5:36, firing a shot from the left point over Binnington’s glove. Lorentz put Toronto ahead 2-1 in the second period after a pass from Blais.
The Blues countered with Dalibor Dvorsky, who scored on a power play to tie the game 2-2 at 13:18.
“It’s a results-based game, and we need to start putting wins in the column,” said Cam Fowler of the Blues.
Woll’s Key Saves
Woll made a crucial stop at 17:40 in the second period, sprawling to his left to deny Jordan Kyrou a goal. Coach Craig Berube praised the team’s effort despite injuries.
“It could have been easy to say we’re all banged up, but our guys competed really hard,” Berube said.
Milestones and Highlights
- Nylander scored his 14th career overtime goal, tying Matthews and Mats Sundin for most in Maple Leafs history.
- He now has 27 overtime points, second only to Matthews (31).
- Defenseman Troy Stecher debuted for Toronto after being claimed off waivers. He recorded plus-1, one shot, and one hit in 13:31 of ice time.
- Blues defenseman Justin Faulk played his 1,000th NHL game, contributing two shots and three blocked shots.
Looking Ahead
The Maple Leafs move to 9-9-2, regaining momentum after their recent struggles. Nylander’s consistency and clutch performances are proving vital for Toronto’s playoff aspirations. Meanwhile, the Blues remain in search of wins, needing to convert competitive games into victories.
