LEAFS WIN AGAIN.
TORONTO — Backup Curtis McElhinney stopped 41 shots as the Toronto Maple Leafs shut out the Edmonton Oilers, 1-0, in National Hockey League action Sunday.
Zach Hyman scored for the Maple Leafs (20-10-1).
McElhinney was making just his fifth start of the season, giving starter Frederik Andersen a rest after he played in a 4-3 win Saturday night in Pittsburgh.
Laurent Brossoit made 22 saves for the Oilers (12-16-2), who beat the Canadiens, 6-2, in Montreal a night earlier.
Toronto’s Auston Matthews missed the game with an upper-body injury. Josh Leivo took his spot in the lineup.
It took Toronto only 34 seconds to open the scoring as Jake Gardiner’s point shot was tipped by Hyman past Brossoit on the game’s first shift. Gardiner was originally credited with the goal before it was switched to Hyman’s sixth of the season.
The Leafs continued to push the pace of play and were outshooting the Oilers 9-2 halfway through the first.
McDavid used his speed to create Edmonton’s first scoring chance as he beat defenceman Ron Hainsey wide on a one-on-one, but as he cut across the crease McElhinney was there to poke away the puck with an excellent stick check.
Two minutes into the second period, Zack Kassian nearly tied the game from the slot after a Toronto turnover, but his shot hit the post and stayed out.
The Oilers looked like a different team in the early stages on the second and had 10 of the first 13 shots on net before the Leafs went to a power play.
Despite being down a man, McDavid was able to take off from his own end on a shorthanded breakaway only for McElhinney to close the five-hole and thwart the 20-yearold’s deke attempt.