Gavin McKenna’s NHL debut ended without a point and with a minus-2 rating as the Toronto Maple Leafs lost 3-2 to the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday.
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft played 15:19 and recorded one shot. Leafs winger William Nylander scored twice for Toronto, but Montreal held on to beat their rivals at Scotiabank Arena.
McKenna finished minus-2 as he was on the ice for both Canadiens goals, with Montreal spoiling his first game in Toronto. Speaking after the game, the 18-year-old was happy about debuting while acknowledging his performance fell short of expectations.
“It was a lot of fun,” McKenna said. “Obviously, you want to get the win, but to get that first one under my belt, it feels good. I’m looking forward to playing again tomorrow.”
McKenna skated alongside John Tavares and William Nylander in the Leafs’ second forward line and pointed to his turnovers as a problem he needs to fix.
“My game wasn’t great, and I had a couple turnovers,” McKenna said. “I’m glad we’re playing again tomorrow so I can bounce back and regroup.”
McKenna also pointed to reduced reaction time and less space at the NHL level as challenges for him during his debut after recording 51 points in 35 games during his lone season at Penn State.
“I think time and space,” McKenna said. “It’s not a huge adjustment, I just think I had a little bit of nerves tonight or something, but it’s fast out there. Montreal doesn’t give you a whole lot of time and space, so you got to make do with what you got.”
Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images
McKenna’s night began with Toronto’s traditional rookie lap, which McKenna described as his most nerve-racking moment.
“It was awesome,” McKenna said. “That was probably the most nervous I was the entire game. It’s awesome and you only get to do it once. So, I had a lot of fun while I was out there.”
McKenna will get an immediate opportunity to bounce back on Wednesday when the Maple Leafs host the New York Islanders at 7:30 p.m. ET.
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