The Maple Leafs defeated the New Jersey Devils 4-3 in overtime on Thursday night at Scotiabank Arena. The team is off on Friday as they travel to Montreal.

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William Nylander insisted the Leafs losing streak wasn't anything to lose sleep over.

"It's only been three games," he said following Wednesday's practice. "So, what's the big deal, really?"

The star winger backed up that comment with two goals on Thursday, including the overtime winner, as the Leafs got back in the win column against former coach Sheldon Keefe and the New Jersey Devils.

Nylander entered the game with just one goal in the previous 11 outings. That dry spell, much like the losing streak, is now in the past.

"Willy had a heck of a game," said coach Craig Berube. "He had second and third efforts on pucks. He was working, as everybody was. The whole team worked and competed hard."

The Leafs dominated possession and outshot the Devils 41-24.

"A lot of hard work and then that started paying off, and started getting more high-quality scoring chances, so just build off of that," Nylander said. "We can gain a lot momentum ... We played our best game in a couple weeks, I think."

Nylander scored Toronto's first goal and then ended the game early in his first shift of overtime. Devils defenceman Luke Hughes went for an ill-advised change, which allowed Nylander to get in all alone on Jacob Markstrom.

"I don't know who gets more breakaways in the NHL than this guy," said Leafs centre Auston Matthews. "So, yeah, I had a pretty good feeling about it."

"He reads the game very well," Berube said. "He has a really high hockey IQ reading where he can get open and take advantage of people."

Nylander downplayed his ability to break away.

"I don't know," he shrugged, "get a lot of good passes."

Nylander is usually pretty lethal in 1-on-1 situations once he gets them.

"He seems like he always steps up in those moments," said Leafs goalie Joseph Woll.

What makes him so good in those situations?

"He doesn't give you much to read off of," Woll explained. "It feels like if you move at all he's going to pick that spot. So, it's tough. He makes you feel like you have a lot of holes because it feels like there's always something available, and he finds it. He's very good at reading the goalie."

Nylander is tied for fourth in the NHL with 26 goals this season.

The 28-year-old has played his entire career in Toronto and never seems to get flustered by the ups and downs in the centre of the hockey universe.

"It is what it is," Nylander said with a shrug.

"He........

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