Gavin McKenna Sinks Stenberg, Sharks With First Winner

Gavin McKenna got his first NHL game-winner on the night everybody wanted to see. The No. 1 pick scored a power-play goal at 4:56 of the third period to break a 1-1 tie, and the Toronto Maple Leafs beat Ivar Stenberg and the San Jose Sharks 3-1 at Scotiabank Arena on Monday.

It was the first meeting between the top two picks of the 2026 NHL Draft, and the 18-year-old owned it. Auston Matthews fed him from below the goal line, McKenna worked into the slot and beat Yaroslav Askarov low to the glove side. Stenberg, the No. 2 pick, finished minus-1 with one shot on goal in 14:27.

Gavin McKenna wants the big moments

"For me, you want to be a guy who is known for those big moments," McKenna said, per NHL.com. "So when you get the time and opportunity to be out there on the ice, you want to make the most out of it."

That answer hits harder when you remember last Thursday. McKenna played only 6:36 in a 5-4 overtime loss to Buffalo and did not see a shift after the 10:20 mark of the second period. He said coach Jim Hiller told him it had nothing to do with his play, then he logged a season-high 17:56 against the Islanders on Saturday and followed it with the winner Monday.

"He's not shy of the moment at all," Matthews said. "You give him a little time and space like he had there, he's going to make something happen, and he did."

Matthews sets the table as Toronto snaps its skid

Matthews had a goal and two assists. San Jose went up 1-0 when Mason Marchment gloved down a Tyler Toffoli shot and lifted a backhand over Sergei Bobrovsky at 13:54 of the first. Matthews tied it on a power play with 12 seconds left in the second, ripping a one-timer off a Kirill Marchenko pass, and Nick Paul added an empty-netter late.

Bobrovsky made 30 saves for his first home win as a Maple Leaf, and Toronto (4-4-2) snapped a three-game losing streak. Matthews also picked up his 64th career three-point game, one shy of tying Mats Sundin for third in franchise history.

McKenna now has three goals and three assists through 10 career games. NHL.com notes he is only the second Leafs player age 18 or younger in the modern era with six or more points in his first 10 games, joining Russ Courtnall, and the fifth player that young to score a game-winner for Toronto.

No time to celebrate

The Leafs are right back at it Tuesday night in Columbus, then host the Rangers on Thursday. If the kid keeps taking the big shifts like this, the McKenna versus Stenberg debate is going to get loud fast in Toronto.