Nylander's five-point night powers Maple Leafs past Avalanche 6-3

William Nylander was unstoppable on Saturday night in Denver, collecting two goals and three assists as the Toronto Maple Leafs fought back to defeat the Colorado Avalanche 6-3 at Ball Arena. Nylander's five-point haul matched his career best and included a career-high three assists, while linemate Auston Matthews added two goals and two assists of his own as Toronto split the first two games of its three-game road trip. The Leafs struck first when Nick Blankenburg converted from close range at 3:03, but Nathan MacKinnon answered in style for Colorado, slicing through the Toronto defence to score at 10:46 before adding a screened shot at 15:14 to make it 2-1. The Avalanche's early advantage evaporated in the second period: Nylander's power-play goal levelled it, Brock Nelson's effort briefly restored Colorado's lead, but Nylander's second of the night tied the game at 16:47 and Easton Cowan's one-timer 46 seconds later put Toronto ahead for good. Matthews sealed the win with a third-period power-play goal and an empty-netter in the final minute. Sergei Bobrovsky made 30 saves for the visitors, while Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 17 for Colorado, which lost for the first time in three home games this season.