There’s always something to look forward to when the Toronto Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers face each other. These are two teams with Stanley Cup aspirations who have some of the best players in the league. On paper, the Leafs are at a disadvantage, missing three of their top nine forwards in Mitch Marner, Tyler Bertuzzi and Calle Järnkrok, but that didn’t stop them in this one. It was the perfect mix of skill, competitiveness, grit and survival.
The Leafs had all the offence to start, and they were up 5-0 by the end of the middle frame, chasing Stuart Skinner from the net. Ironically enough, this likely wasn’t too big of a deficit for the Oilers to overcome. Not only do they have the star power to force a comeback, but their last game against the Buffalo Sabres saw them score five goals in the third period. Penalties to Conor Timmins and Connor Dewar gave them the opportunity to do it again in the final period of this game.
. . .
The Leafs held on, and after a few clears and time in the neutral zone instead of their end, Auston Matthews got the opportunity to find the back of the empty net.
3 Stars:
- Ilya Samsonov
- Bobby McMann
- Pontus Holmberg