William Nylander scored at 3:59 of overtime and the Toronto Maple Leafs ended Colorado’s 17-game home winning streak with a 4-3 win in Denver on Monday night.
It was the first home loss for Colorado since Oct. 23. The Avalanche remain unbeaten at home in regulation (17-0-3) but missed out on a chance to tie the franchise record for consecutive home victories.
Nylander skated down the right side, took a pass from Oliver Ekman-Larsson and sent a shot through the pads of Trent Miner (27 saves).
Nylander also had an assist, while Bobby McMann, Auston Matthews and Easton Cowan scored goals and Joseph Wall made 31 saves for Toronto, which is 8-0-2 in its last 10 games. Matthews added an assist and Ekman-Larsson had two assists.
Maple Leafs forward Nicholas Robertson left the game after taking a shot off the inside of his left knee in the first period. He did not return.
Cale Makar and Martin Necas had a goal and an assist each, Brock Nelson also scored for Colorado and Nathan MacKinnon had three assists to take the NHL scoring lead with 81 points.
Toronto got on the board first when Cowan’s pass to the front of the net hit Avalanche defenseman Brent Burns’ right skate and slipped by Miner at 11:15 of the first period.
Makar tied it when he got a pass through the slot from Necas and beat Woll with a wrister at 16:12 of the first. Nelson gave the Avalanche the lead 1:41 later when he scored on a one-timer from MacKinnon five seconds into a power play.
McMann evened it up 2:12 into the second when he raced into the Colorado end ahead of two Colorado players and beat Miner with a wrister.
Matthews put the Maple Leafs back in front when he skated into the Colorado zone and wristed a shot over Miner’s left shoulder at 10:24 of the third. It was his 22nd goal of the season and seventh in six January games.
The Avalanche responded a few minutes later when MacKinnon sent a pass to the front of the net where Necas tipped it just inside the right post at 12:55.
–Field Level Media
