In a thrilling overtime finish, William Nylander secured a vital 3-2 victory for the Toronto Maple Leafs against the St. Louis Blues, ending a troubling five-game losing streak on Tuesday. The Maple Leafs, who have been struggling due to injuries and underperformance, now boast a record of 9-9-2 after this much-needed win. This game was significant for Toronto, as it had lost four of its last five matches in regulation prior to this contest.

The game saw Toronto's Jake McCabe and Steven Lorentz contributing with goals, while goaltender Joseph Woll made an impressive 27 saves in his second start of the season. For the Blues (6-9-5), Nathan Walker and Dalibor Dvorsky found the back of the net, but Jordan Binnington could only stop 26 shots, resulting in a narrow defeat. St. Louis has struggled as well, now sitting at 1-2-2 in their last five games.

The first period ended in a 1-1 stalemate, with Nylander inadvertently scoring an own goal before McCabe equalized for the Maple Leafs. Lorentz then put Toronto ahead, but Dvorsky leveled the score with a power play goal, resulting in a tie at 2-2 heading into the third period.

Toronto was notably missing a significant number of key players, with at least seven regulars sidelined due to various injuries. This included star forwards Auston Matthews, Matthew Knies, Scott Laughton, and Nicolas Roy. Defensive coverage was further weakened by the absence of Brandon Carlo and Chris Tanev, alongside goaltender Anthony Stolarz, who also remained out of the lineup.

Takeaways

Prior to the puck drop, Matthew Knies was scratched from the lineup due to a lower-body injury, classified as day-to-day. His absence contributed to the ongoing challenges faced by the Maple Leafs as they navigate their injury-riddled roster.

On the Blues' side, a notable highlight was veteran defenceman Justin Faulk, who played in the 1,000th regular-season game of his career. This milestone places him among fellow 2010 draft class members like Jeff Skinner, Cam Fowler, and Tyler Seguin.

Key Moment

The decisive moment of the game came when Nylander executed a brilliant solo effort to secure the win. He deftly maneuvered past Blues forward Dylan Holloway and managed to outsmart Binnington, scoring his ninth goal of the season to seal the victory for Toronto.

Key Stat

Entering this game, both the Blues and the Leafs were ranked as the two worst defensive teams in the NHL. St. Louis had a troubling average of 3.84 goals allowed per game, while Toronto was close behind at 3.79.

Up Next

The Blues will be looking to regroup as they face the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday, while the Maple Leafs will host the Columbus Blue Jackets on the same day. Both teams will aim to capitalize on their next matchups to improve their standings as the season progresses.