Maple Leafs 6, Avalanche 3: Nylander's Five Points in Denver

October 10, 2026 - Denver - It was 3-2 Colorado in the second, Brock Nelson having just stuffed his own rebound. Forty-six seconds after William Nylander tied it, Easton Cowan one-timed Morgan Rielly's pass, and Ball Arena had a 4-3 game it never got back.

The Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Colorado Avalanche 6-3. Toronto is 3-2-1 and took its first road win of the season, the NHL recap said. Colorado is 3-2-0, two losses in three. Shots were 33-23 Colorado. Nylander finished with two goals and three assists. The NHL recap said the five points tied a career high, matching Dec. 10, 2022, against Calgary. Auston Matthews had two goals and two assists.

Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 30 of 33 for his first win of the season. He is not seeded on AthX player pages, so the name stays unlinked. Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 17 of 22. An Associated Press recap on ESPN used 16 saves. The gamecenter box is 17. That is the line we scored.

Blankenburg's first shift, then MacKinnon twice

Nick Blankenburg is not seeded either. He signed a one-year deal on Sept. 27, the NHL recap said, and scored 3:03 into his Toronto debut. He came down from the point, took Nylander's pass at the left wall, and went short side over Blackwood's glove. Nick Paul had the other assist. Paul is unlinked. 1-0.

Nathan MacKinnon tied it at 10:46. He entered with speed, went around Rielly, and beat Bobrovsky five-hole from in close. Bowen Kulak and Devon Toews on the play. Both unlinked. 1-1.

MacKinnon scored again at 15:14, a wrister from above the hashes that went off Bobrovsky's glove with Martin Necas screening. Cale Makar the other assist. 2-1. MacKinnon finished with eight shots.

Matthews told NHL.com Toronto had not been good enough in front of Bobrovsky in his first couple of starts. Coming into this building, Matthews said, he was huge, and the win was deserved.

Nylander, Cowan, then the period that got crazy

Jaden Schwartz took a high-sticking minor early in the second. Nylander tied it 19 seconds later, at 6:53. Gavin McKenna sent a crossing pass that hit the left post. Nylander walked in, backhand to forehand, and put it in the open net. Matthews the other helper. The Associated Press recap said it was the first power-play goal Colorado had allowed this season. 2-2.

Nylander, to NHL.com, on McKenna: "Unbelievable pass on that first goal. He did a great job, and he's so talented, and he can make those plays all over the ice."

Nelson snapped his own rebound short side at 12:25. 3-2 Colorado. Then Toronto took the building. Nylander's second, even strength, at 16:47 from Matthews and Paul. 3-3. Cowan at 17:33, one-timer, Rielly and Nylander. 4-3.

Toronto coach Jim Hiller told NHL.com he liked the first and the third, that Colorado had a couple of rush chances early, and that the second got a little crazy. The response in the third, he said, is what you want.

Colorado went 0-for-5 on the power play, the Associated Press recap said, including eight seconds of a 5-on-3 early in the second.

Matthews twice, Bednar on the mistakes

Matthews made it 5-3 at 12:02 of the third on the power play from Nylander and Kirill Marchenko. He closed it at 19:21 into an empty net. The NHL landing lists the empty-net modifier.

Colorado coach Jared Bednar told NHL.com he was not disappointed with the number of chances against. He did not like the quality. Mental mistakes, he said, not a lack of effort. A couple of players made more than one, and it cost them. He did not name them.

Toronto visits Utah on Tuesday. Colorado visits Dallas that night.

AthX Engine on a 22.20 road win

AthX Engine (our projection and scoring system) scored Nylander at 18.40 (two goals, three assists, four shots, one power-play bonus). Matthews is 18.00. MacKinnon is 12.30. Nelson is 6.40. Cowan is 6.20. Paul is 5.50. Blankenburg is 4.60. Bobrovsky's win, 30 saves, and three goals against land at 11.40. Blackwood is 0.80.

Toronto's team line is 22.20, the top club total on a 14-game Saturday. Colorado keeps 0.60.

Fantasy points measure the box. Price is what traders will pay for a Nylander night that tied a career high in a building that had MacKinnon at two, and for a Maple Leafs club that finally won on the road. They are not the same number.

Track Nylander, Matthews, MacKinnon, and both clubs on the marketplace.

*Sources: AP recap (ESPN), ESPN box score, NHL.com recap, NHL.com scoreboard. AthX Engine fantasy points scored from NHL gamecenter box 2026020080. Information only; not financial advice.*