Gavin McKenna scores in comeback bid as Maple Leafs fall 4-2 to Canadiens

The Story

Gavin McKenna scored 55 seconds after William Nylander’s power-play goal, but Toronto couldn’t complete its comeback and fell 4-2 to the Montreal Canadiens.

McKenna was benched for the rest of the second period after an incident earlier in the game, according to the game report. He returned in the third and scored to make it 3-2, after Nylander had opened the period with a power-play marker to pull Toronto within 3-1.

Toronto’s comeback attempt ultimately fell short, with Montreal adding the eventual deciding power-play goal at 12:15 of the third period to make it 4-2.

Nylander said the club has struggled with consistency, noting, “Sometimes we start the game well, and then we dip off,” and adding that Toronto couldn’t identify why its play has varied from period to period.

Veteran defenceman Chris Tanev said the team needs to bring its effort for the full game, saying, “We need to do it for 60 (minutes), and we've been saying that for a long time now.”

The loss extended Toronto’s recent struggles, with the Leafs having lost four of their last five games in regulation. They sit second-last in the Atlantic Division and, at 8-8-2, have the same record they had at this stage of last season.

Toronto opened a season-high six-game homestand Tuesday with a 3-2 loss to the Utah Mammoth, and the next stretch includes a Sunday game against the New Jersey Devils followed by matchups against the Colorado Avalanche, Minnesota Wild and Edmonton Oilers.

There was also a blow to the Leafs’ lineup early, as defenceman Morgan Rielly did not return after Saturday’s first period with a lower-body injury. Coach Jim Hiller said Rielly had “played really well” and that his “confidence is back,” adding there was no post-game update on how long he might be out.

Earlier, McKenna described the benching from the second period and said the message from the team at the intermission included that the coaching staff would return him to the lineup, telling reporters, “He said he was gonna get me out there again, which felt good.”