Speed and pace were the themes of this game. The Edmonton Oilers had the edge with their top line getting big minutes in the Toronto Maple Leafs’ end while also scoring the night’s first goal thanks to Adam Henrique. Not only did the Leafs keep up with the Oilers, they pushed the pace themselves. Bobby McMann tied the game off a heavy shift with John Tavares and Mitch Marner while the top power-play unit built up on more scoring chances.
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The Leafs found the luck they needed with two unassisted goals in the third period from Matthew Knies and McMann’s second of the game. Leon Draisaitl secured a point for the Oilers as his 13th of the season tied it with a minute and a half to go in regulation. After a failed two-on-one and a huge stop on Connor McDavid by Anthony Stolarz, Marner ended the game with his 200th career goal.
This was a well-fought and deserved 4-3 overtime win for the Leafs. They defended well at five-on-five and made the Oilers pay for the opportunities they gave up. The energy of this game was playoff-like and the Leafs coming away with the win, again without Auston Matthews, is another chapter in their book of “If you play this way, you win.” The Leafs brought their A-game, their grade for the night.