Story perspectives

Leafs Rally From 3-0 Down to Win Overtime 5-4

By Drooid · Oct 7, 2026, 10:25 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Gavin McKenna scored his first NHL goal in overtime, giving Toronto a 5-4 win over Nashville.
He added his first NHL assist on a John Tavares goal, finishing with two points.
The Leafs erased a 3-0 second-period deficit before winning in overtime.
Coach Jim Hiller called the goal a “goal-scorer’s goal” and praised McKenna’s timing.

History

Historical Context

In 2010, the Philadelphia Flyers erased a 3-0 series deficit to defeat the Boston Bruins in Game 7, completing a historic comeback. Coach Peter Laviolette’s line change yielded a 4-2 win, and forward Claude Giroux contributed two goals and an assist, raising his playoff points to 12. Similarly, Toronto’s 2024 overtime rally, sparked by rookie Gavin McKenna’s first goal and John Tavares’s assist, mirrored that comeback spirit against the Nashville Predators. These turnarounds reinforce the NHL’s reputation for unpredictable late-game surges, prompting coaches like Jim Hiller to prioritize depth scoring in future lineups.

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Story summary

Gavin McKenna scored his first NHL goal in overtime, giving Toronto a 5-4 win over Nashville.
He added his first NHL assist on a John Tavares goal, finishing with two points.
The Leafs erased a 3-0 second-period deficit before winning in overtime.
Coach Jim Hiller called the goal a “goal-scorer’s goal” and praised McKenna’s timing.

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