Nichushkin scored to give Colorado a 1-0 lead just 56 second into the first period when he deflected Ryan Lindgren’s point shot past Stolarz while cutting through the left circle.
“I think he’s elite. One of the best-in-the-League 200-foot players,” Bednar said of Nichushkin. “There’s guys that come to mind that some of them play different positions, like, I think, [Aleksander] Barkov, [Jack] Eichel, and you’re trying to find big wingers like that. He’s one of those guys. To me, he’s one of the top 200-foot players in the game.”
Marner tied it 1-1 at 3:04 with a wrist shot from the right circle that went far side past the blocker of Blackwood.
“We gave that team a lot of offensive chances, a lot of rush chances,” Marner said. “We just got to be better with our pucks, better with our play. Yeah, [it stinks].”
Nichushkin made it 2-1 at 6:08 when he snapped a shot from the right face-off dot that beat Stolarz short side.
“Obviously, Val with the hat trick is amazing. He’s been so good since he’s been back,” MacKinnon said. “I don’t think we’ve lost. He just definitely deserves that big night.”
Tavares tied it 2-2 with a wrist shot from just above the left hash marks that went short side over the shoulder at 12:51.
“Obviously, a very dangerous team offensively. Skate extremely well,” Tavares said. “We put ourselves in a good spot, especially [because] we weren’t carrying most of the play through the first 40 [minutes] but defended hard, ‘Stolie’ was great, and capitalized on our opportunities. Just a few too [many] mistakes that led to opportunities for them, and we weren’t able to find another one in the third.”
Marner gave Toronto a 3-2 lead at 16:04 when he one-timed Bobby McMann’s pass at the right dot.
“I think Mitch is just focused on being a Leaf and doing everything he can to help this team. I think he’s a great player,” Tavares said. “We love him, and he’s playing great.”
Tavares extended the lead to 4-2 with a power-play goal at 12:45 of the second period. His snap shot from just below the hash marks went over Blackwood’s right shoulder.
Joel Kiviranta cut it to 4-3 at 15:11 when Ross Colton’s centering pass caromed off his skate and went between Stolarz’s pads.
Jonathan Drouin tied it 4-4 at 11:55 of the third period when he one-timed Coyle’s centering pass from behind the net at the left hash marks.
“That was a hell of a play by him. Obviously, he’s a very good player,” Drouin said of Coyle. “I’ve watched him for quite a bit. I used to watch him when he was going to Boston University. So, it’s cool to get a pass from him.”
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