Nylander picked up a goal and assists in a comeback win against the Detroit Red Wings, executing the perfect return home story.

William Nylander's first NHL game played in his own home country couldn't have gone any better, but the Toronto Maple Leafs' star forward still found something.

"Maybe putting in the empty-netter would have been better," he joked. "It was a special day for sure."

Nylander scored a goal and added two assists to help his team crawl out of a two-goal deficit in the third period to defeat the Detroit Red Wings 3-2 on Sunday.

The forward extended his franchise-record points streak to start the season when he assisted on Toronto's first goal of the game, a feed to former Red Wing Tyler Bertuzzi down low at the 3:50 mark of the third period that cut Detroit's lead to 2-1.

Nylander then scored his lone goal of the game while on the power-play that tied the game 2-2.

Nylander completed the three-point night by picking up the secondary assist in Maple Leafs captain John Tavares' goal with 5:33 to go in regulation time.

It was a perfect way for the Nylander to make his mark. The hottest Swedish player  (and probably any player) in the NHL right now, the forward increased his team lead in points to six over any other player with 25 (11 goals and 14 assists). He played an NHL game in front of his grandmother for the very first time. Former Maple Leafs captain Mats Sundin got the team started by doing player introductions in the locker room.

But outside of the circumstance of playing in Stockholm, Nylander is pushing new territory into where he stands in the NHL.

"I think it's pretty evident what he's done over the last 15 or 16 months here (he's) put himself in the conversation with the best players in the game," Tavares said of Nylander. "He continues to show on a nightly basis how dominant he is, the game-breaker than he can be."

Through games played on Friday afternoon, Nylander is just two points back of the rest of the NHL lead in points. His consistency continues to make that elephant in the room grow bigger.

You know the one. The fact that the forward is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season and the player's value continues to shoot in an upward trajectory.

Nylander's could command a lot of money on the open market and the Maple Leafs may not be able to meet the demand.

But for now, the Leafs will enjoy the benefits of what Nylander is bringing to their team. For a club that has struggled at various points this season, the forward's play has helped them get results they probably wouldn't have deserved otherwise.

That's the mark of an elite player.

William Nylander is certainly proving that, whether it's at home or anywhere in North America.

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