‘Pretty fired up’: McKenna back in the spotlight for Maple Leafs after benching

Gavin McKenna scored the winner on a third-period power play as the Toronto Maple Leafs snapped a three-game slide Monday with a 3-1 victory over the San Jose Sharks. Auston Matthews added a goal and two assists for Toronto (4-4-2). Sergei Bobrovsky made 30 saves to pick up his first home win for the Maple Leafs.

Nick Paul added an empty-net goal late in regulation. Mason Marchment replied for San Jose (4-4-1), which got 28 stops from Yaroslav Askarov. McKenna fished the puck out of a crowd and fired past Askarov at 4:56 of the final period before dropping to one knee in celebration to snap a 1-1 tie.

Toronto entered play 0-2-1 over its last three contests, and 1-2-2 over the last five. The game featured the first meeting between the No. 1 and 2 picks at the 2026 NHL draft — McKenna and Sharks winger Ivar Stenberg.

Marchment opened the scoring at 13:54 of the first when he was left all alone in front of Bobrovsky after Matthews turned the puck over in the defensive zone. Matthews made up for that mistake and got his team even with 12 seconds left in the second on a power play. Toronto’s captain took a pass from Kirill Marchenko and ripped a shot upstairs on Askarov before McKenna pushed the home side in front in the third.

Star winger William Nylander missed the morning skate with an illness and was listed as a game-time decision, but was healthy enough to suit up. The Maple Leafs visit Matthew Knies in Columbus on Tuesday, the first game since both teams agreed to a major trade that involved Marchenko, Emil Andrae, Elvis Merzlikins and Miles Wood. Gavin McKenna found himself stapled to the bench last Thursday.

1 overall pick at the 2026 NHL draft returned to the fray over the weekend — and was right back in the spotlight four nights later. McKenna scored the winner on a third-period power play in Toronto’s 3-1 victory over the San Jose Sharks that halted the Maple Leafs’ three-game slide Monday. The 18-year-old winger grabbed a loose puck after Auston Matthews won a battle down low and fired low glove side on Yaroslav Askarov for his third goal as a professional.