Gavin McKenna broke a third-period tie with his first NHL power-play goal, and the Toronto Maple Leafs ended their three-game skid by beating the San Jose Sharks 3-1 at Scotiabank Arena on Monday.
The 2026 No. 1 overall pick put Toronto ahead 4:56 into the final period. Working from the base of the right circle, McKenna pulled the puck into the slot and snapped a glove-side wrist shot past Sharks goaltender Yaroslav Askarov for the deciding goal.
“That’s a huge night for the group,” McKenna said. “The puck was bouncing around that whole shift, and the guys won a lot of battles. I got a little time and space in front, shot it low glove and it went in. I was pretty fired up.”
Auston Matthews finished with a goal and two assists, Nick Paul sealed it with an empty-netter, and Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 30 shots for Toronto (4-4-2). It was Bobrovsky’s first victory on home ice as a Maple Leaf.
McKenna wins first NHL meeting with Stenberg
The game marked the first NHL matchup between McKenna and Sharks forward Ivar Stenberg, selected immediately behind him at No. 2 in the 2026 NHL Draft.
McKenna entered the night focused on the club matchup rather than the draft connection, saying before puck drop that Stenberg had started well but that it was “Leafs versus the Sharks” in a team game.
Toronto got the result and McKenna supplied the winner. Stenberg recorded one shot in 14:27, finishing minus-1.
McKenna now has three goals and three assists through his first 10 NHL games. He is the second Maple Leafs skater aged 18 or younger to reach six points in that span in the modern era, joining Russ Courtnall, who had 10 points in 1983-84. McKenna also became the fifth Toronto player aged 18 or younger to score a game-winning goal.
Sharks strike first, Leafs power play answers
San Jose (4-4-1) carried a 1-0 lead out of the first period after Mason Marchment scored at 13:54. Tyler Toffoli sent a puck toward the crease from the left point, and Marchment knocked it down near the top of the blue paint before lifting a backhand over Bobrovsky’s left pad.
“I saw Toffoli keeping it in and tried to stay underneath him,” Marchment said. “He made a great play through everybody. It was a quick move, and it was nice to get it past him.”
Askarov held Toronto off for most of two periods, but the Leafs finally converted on the power play with 12 seconds left in the second. Kirill Marchenko found Matthews in the left circle from behind the net, and Matthews drove a one-timer over Askarov’s blocker to level the score.
Matthews’ three-point performance was his 64th in the NHL, leaving him one behind Mats Sundin for third place in Maple Leafs history.
“It was a hard game from top to bottom, a really good young and skilled game,” Matthews said. “I thought we were solid in all parts of the game, and Bob was great again.”
Paul finished the scoring at 19:20 of the third, racing down the right wing and firing into the empty net from the top of the circle.
Toronto finds a way through 40 minutes of pressure
The Leafs had lost three straight games, going 0-2-1 in that stretch, but coach Jim Hiller liked the way his group stayed on its game while Askarov made 29 saves.
“We stuck with it,” Hiller said. “We created some very good even-strength chances over 40 minutes, and Askarov made some strong saves. We did a very good job of staying with it and continuing to push forward.”
Bobrovsky’s 30-save outing gave Toronto the needed margin as San Jose pressed for an equalizer. Marchment provided the Sharks’ only goal.
San Jose has dropped to 1-3-1 over its past five contests and is 1-1-1 through three games of a six-game road swing. The Sharks visit the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday in the second half of a back-to-back.
Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said his club is generating looks but lacks consistency at both ends of the rink.
“We know we can feel it,” Warsofsky said. “We’re not scoring right now, but we’re getting good looks and good chances. Bob played really well, but there are still consistency issues throughout our game, with the puck and without it.”
Rink notes
- Artur Akhtyamov dressed as Toronto’s backup goaltender after being recalled from the Maple Leafs’ American Hockey League affiliate earlier Monday.
- Sharks center Alexander Wennberg briefly exited in the third period, returned, then did not take another shift after the 3:56 mark. Warsofsky said an upper-body injury kept him from finishing the game.
