Gavin McKenna finally scored his first point (and goal) in the NHL and thanks to Auston Matthews, the two managed to make a little history along the way.
The monkey is finally off Gavin McKenna's back as he scored his first NHL point on Tuesday against Nashville. Not only that, but he also managed to score his first goal of his career as well as it looks like the 2026 first overall pick is finally going to start breaking through.
It was almost destined to be as the Maple Leafs were able to fight back from 3-0 and 4-2 deficits to win in overtime thanks to an Auston Matthews winner with 14 seconds left. Toronto now has a wave of momentum as they head onto their western road trip that starts Thursday in Vegas.
McKenna and Matthews are already making history
But that McKenna stat line isn't just fairly impressive - it also comes with some history attached to it as well.
According to NHL records, it was the ninth time in history that a former first overall pick assisted on a fellow first overall pick's first NHL goal, and McKenna became the second player in history whose first career point came off a goal from another first overall pick - and who had another assist on his own goal.
He was also part of history as he was one of four first overall picks playing on the ice together, as the Maple Leafs have him, Tavares, and Matthews meanwhile the Predators had Steven Stamkos on their side.
Maple Leafs' first overall picks had a night to remember
Not only did the Maple Leafs come away with a 5-4 OT win over the Predators, but those first-overall picks put in some serious work. McKenna had two points (1G, 1A), Tavares had a goal, and Matthews had a four-point night (1G, 3A). Combined they had six points, were a plus-3, and had 14 shots.
It was exactly the showing that you'd expect from a team filled with such talent, and the Maple Leafs are hopefully going to start seeing more consistent play from not only McKenna but also the captain. He doesn't need to have a four-point showing every game, but repeated multi-point nights would go a long way.
Heading to Vegas to start their road trip is also going to be tough as they have to contend with a talented Golden Knights team that has old friend turned enemy Mitch Marner. He's not going to let McKenna get away with much, and it'll be interesting to see how the team responds with this current roster.
Props to Jim Hiller for changing things up against Nashville as it led to McKenna getting his first points and the rest of the team coming together and thriving. It's just the start, but it could be the start of something very special.
Do you think Gavin McKenna and Auston Matthews should play together now?
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