William Nylander Ties Career High With 5 Points as Maple Leafs Beat Avalanche 6-3

William Nylander picked a perfect night to be perfect. The Toronto winger scored twice and set up three more goals Saturday night in Denver, tying his single-game career high with five points — and reaching the 700-point milestone — as the Maple Leafs doubled up the Colorado Avalanche 6-3 for their first road win of the season.

It was the kind of performance that reminds everyone why Nylander, in his 12th season as a Leaf, remains one of the most purely gifted offensive players in hockey.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

How the Five-Point Night Unfolded

Toronto struck first when Nick Blankenburg — the former Avalanche defenceman signed September 27 — scored 3:03 into his Maple Leafs debut against his old team. It was the fourth-fastest goal from the start of a team debut in franchise history, according to the Maple Leafs.

Nathan MacKinnon answered with two first-period goals to give Colorado a 2-1 lead, but the second period belonged to Nylander. Just 19 seconds into a Jaden Schwartz high-sticking minor, Nylander tied it with a backhand-to-forehand move around Mackenzie Blackwood — the first power-play goal Colorado had allowed all season. The setup came from 18-year-old Gavin McKenna off the left post.

After Brock Nelson put Colorado back ahead 3-2, Nylander struck again at 16:47 of the second with a wrist shot — his 700th career NHL point — and Easton Cowan scored 46 seconds later to give Toronto a 4-3 lead it would never surrender.

Matthews Takes Over, Bobrovsky Gets His Win

Auston Matthews put the game away in the third: a power-play goal at 12:02 set up by Nylander, then an empty-netter in the final minute. Matthews finished with two goals and two assists of his own; Nick Paul added two assists.

Sergei Bobrovsky made 30 saves for his first win of the season. "We haven't been good enough in front of him in his first couple starts," Matthews told NHL.com's Ryan Boulding. "Coming into this building against this opponent, he was huge for us tonight, and (it was) well deserved."

Nylander, characteristically understated afterward, told reporters: "I was just going out there playing. I got some really nice passes to be able to score those two goals."

Milestone Night: 700 Points and Franchise History

The milestones piled up. Nylander's second goal was the 700th point and 297th goal of his career, moving him past George Armstrong and Frank Mahovlich into seventh on the franchise's all-time goal list. He became the seventh-fastest Swedish player in NHL history to reach 700 points (756 games) — behind legends like Peter Forsberg, Mats Sundin, and Nicklas Backstrom.

It was his second career five-point game (the first: December 10, 2022, also 2-3—5), and the three assists set a new personal single-game best. He also became the first Maple Leaf with five points in a game since Mitch Marner and Matthew Knies did it on January 4, 2025.

Through six games, Nylander sits among the NHL's top five scorers — the engine of a Toronto offence that finally looks dangerous.

The Cost: Chris Tanev Injured

The night wasn't all celebration. Defenceman Chris Tanev left in the first period with an upper-body injury and did not return. The 36-year-old, who had core muscle surgery last March, had played every game this season on the second pair with Morgan Rielly. Oliver Ekman-Larsson is the likely fill-in if Tanev misses time.

Toronto (3-2-1) visits the Utah Mammoth on Tuesday, carrying momentum — and hoping its blue line holds together.

Sources

• NHL.com — Nylander ties career high with five points, Maple Leafs cool off Avalanche
• Sportsnet — Nylander ties career high with 5 points as Maple Leafs beat Avalanche
• Toronto Maple Leafs — Nylander ties career high with 5 points in the Mile-High City