The five points tied a career high for Nylander.
Auston Matthews scored twice and had two assists, Nick Blankenburg scored in his Toronto debut, and Nick Paul had 2 assists for the Maple Leafs (3-2-1), who got their first road win of the season. Sergei Bobrovsky made 30 saves for his first win of the season.
Nathan MacKinnon scored twice, and Brock Nelson also scored for the Avalanche (3-2-0), who have lost two of three. Mackenzie Blackwood made 16 saves.
Blankenburg made it 1-0 Toronto at 3:03 of the first period after he activated from the point down to the left circle has, caught a crossing pass from Nylander at the left wall, and fired a wrist shot short side over the glove. Blankenburg made his Maple Leafs debut after signing a one-year contract on Sept. 27.
MacKinnon tied it 1-1 at 10:46 of the first with a wrist shot from in close on the left that went five-hole. He entered the zone with speed, cut outside and around defenseman Morgan Rielly and drove the net from the right circle to set up the shot.
MacKinnon scored against to give Colorado a 2-1 lead at 15:14 of the period. He fired a wrister from above the center hashes that went off the glove of Bobrovsky, who was screened by Martin Necas.
Nylander scored a power-play goal to tie it 2-2 at 6:53 of the second period. He took a crossing pass from Gavin McKenna off the left post, walked in, and went backhand to forehand around Blackwood for the shot into the open net.
Nelson broke the tie to make it 3-2 Colorado at 12:25 of the second when he snapped his won rebound short side over Bobrovsky’s right shoulder.
Nylander tied it 3-3 at 16:47 with a wrist shot from above the right inside hash that went far side past the blocker. Paul started the sequence when he chopped down Brett Kulak’s clearing attempt at the blue line and fed Matthews at the bottom of the right circle before the latter connected with Nylander for the shot.
Easton Cowan scored to make it 4-3 at 17:33 when his one-timer from under the right dot beat Blackwood inside the right post. Rielly passed it down to Cowan from above the left circle.
Matthews extended the lead to 5-3 with a power-play goal at 12:02 of the third period. His wrist shot from the right circle hashes went short side past the glove. Nylander hit Matthews with a backhand pass from below the left circle to set him up.
Matthews scored an empty-net goal at 19:21 for the 6-3 final.
Maple Leafs defenseman Chris Tanev left the game at 11:08 of the first period with an upper-body injury.
