NHL Tuesday: Matthews Wins It in OT for Leafs, Larkin Lifts Wings in Return, Rangers Take Battle of New York

TORONTO — The theme of Tuesday night in the NHL was the comeback — on the scoreboard and in the standings. In Toronto, the Maple Leafs erased a three-goal deficit and beat Nashville 5-4 in overtime. In Detroit, Dylan Larkin erased months of bad blood with one productive night. In Chicago, the Blackhawks erased an 0-3 start. And in New York, the Rangers erased any doubt about the Battle of New York with two third-period goals.

Auston Matthews picked a historic night to be the hero. With 14 seconds left in overtime, the Leafs captain buried a rebound off a William Nylander shot for the 5-4 winner, capping a four-point night of one goal and three assists. The goal moved Matthews past Bill Guerin (429) into ninth place all-time among United States-born goal scorers. Toronto trailed 3-0 in the second period and 4-2 in the third before forcing overtime — Nashville's first road game of the season turned into a collapse, with the Predators taking penalties late in the first and early in the second that, as coach Andrew Brunette admitted afterward, derailed them and got the building going.

The night belonged to more than Matthews. Gavin McKenna, the 18-year-old first overall pick of the 2026 draft, scored his first NHL goal late in the second period and added his first assist for his first multi-point game in four outings. On the other side, Steven Stamkos scored twice — his 626th and 627th career goals, moving him into sole possession of 17th on the all-time list past Joe Sakic and Jarome Iginla — and Ryan O'Reilly recorded his 900th career point. Nylander finished with a goal and two assists, and Juuse Saros made 32 saves in the loss. Toronto (2-2-0) visits Vegas on Thursday; Nashville (1-1-1) visits Montreal.

DETROIT — The loudest ovation of the night might have been for a player the home crowd was booing an hour earlier. Dylan Larkin, the former Red Wings captain who requested a trade in June and then missed all of training camp and the first two games with an upper-body injury, made his season debut against Ottawa and turned jeers into cheers: a goal and an assist, first star of the game, 20:41 of ice time. Larkin broke a 2-2 tie at 13:14 of the first period, converting in front off a Viktor Arvidsson feed, and Detroit never trailed again in a 5-3 win — the Red Wings' first of the season.

Alex DeBrincat scored twice and added an assist, Arvidsson had a goal and an assist, Lucas Raymond collected three assists, and John Gibson made 22 saves. For Ottawa, playing the second night of a back-to-back after Monday's 4-1 win in Boston, Tim Stutzle, Drake Batherson and William Eklund each had a goal and an assist, and Samuel Ersson made 31 saves with Linus Ullmark not dressing. The Senators (2-1-0) ran out of gas against a Detroit team (1-2-0) playing with visible emotion — and Larkin, serenaded at the final horn, looked every bit the franchise center again.

NEW YORK — The Battle of New York went to the Rangers, 5-2 over the Islanders at Madison Square Garden, with the home team pulling away on two third-period goals. In Raleigh, Carolina outgunned Montreal 6-4 in the night's wildest final. And in Buffalo, the Sabres edged Minnesota 3-2 in a tight, low-event game that felt like November hockey in the best way.

CHICAGO — The United Center finally had something to celebrate. The Blackhawks beat the St. Louis Blues 4-2 for their first win of the season, in their home opener, with Patrick Kane back in a Chicago sweater on home ice — the 37-year-old franchise icon having returned this summer on a two-year, $16 million deal after three seasons in Detroit, scoring in the September 29th opener in Vegas. After opening 0-3-0 with losses to Vegas, Utah and Buffalo, Chicago's young core got its night, and the building got its moment.

Out west, the Vegas Golden Knights were in complete control in Seattle at publication time, leading the Kraken 4-0 in the second period at Climate Pledge Arena — two goals in the first, two more in the second. Our full Vegas game preview is here, and the result will be updated in the morning. The nightcap: Florida at Los Angeles at 10 p.m. ET, with the Panthers still chasing their first regulation win of the season.

For context on a busy 48 hours: Monday's four-game slate saw Tampa Bay beat Philadelphia 4-1, Ottawa top Boston 4-1 in the game where Linus Ullmark exited with an injury, Winnipeg edge Pittsburgh 3-2 and Dallas blank San Jose 5-0. One week into the season, the picture is forming: Toronto's stars are producing milestones, Detroit's summer saga took a turn, Chicago has life, and Vegas looks every bit the contender. See the full Tuesday slate preview and more in our NHL section.