Maple Leafs 6-3 over Avalanche as Bobrovsky answers the barrage
Toronto didn’t have the puck as much, but it had the finish — and Sergei Bobrovsky. The Maple Leafs turned a night of counterpunches into a 6-3 win while the Avalanche carried most of the push and kept firing.
Colorado’s pressure was real: they owned the shot attempts by almost two to one and generated chances worth about 4.40 expected goals — expected goals meaning how many the chances usually produce. Nathan MacKinnon drove that wave with 8 shots and 2 goals. But Bobrovsky stopped 30 of 33 and added +1.40 goals saved above expected — how many more he turned away than a typical night — giving Toronto the breathing room to strike back.
On the other end, William Nylander (2 goals, 3 assists) and Auston Matthews (2 goals, 2 assists) cashed the best looks, with help from a Leafs power play that converted twice. Mackenzie Blackwood yielded 5 on 21 shots, and that goaltending gap told.
The bounces cut Colorado too: the iron rang three times, with Martin Necas, Morgan Rielly, and Nazem Kadri each clipping a crossbar.
Takeaway: Toronto bags a big win that hides how much it spent defending; Colorado showed an elite attack, but finishing and netminding swung the night.
