Leafs off the mark, fall to Oilers
Anticipated high-powered fireworks fizzle
It’s sure taking awhile for the fireworks to light in the Maple Leafs — Oilers series.
The anticipated star bursts between the high-powered Leafs, Edmonton’s Connor Mcdavid and Leon Draisaitl and Toronto burning the Oilers’ supposedly suspect defence, amounted mostly to a Bay St. bore fest on Wednesday. Toronto ended up in the loss column, 3-1, with the clubs playing each other again on Friday.
After 40 minutes, with an own goal by the Leafs the only stroke on the scoreboard, Matthews and Draisaitl traded goals, the latter on the power play to break the Leafs’ two-game consecutive penalty killing streak at seven.
Toronto coach Sheldon Keefe started changing lines early in the third period when he lost first line winger Joe Thornton with a slash to the arm, leaving him with 10 forwards. But that circumstance seemed to wake the Leafs, Matthews deftly coming out of the corner to find a low hole on Mikko Koskinen to tie it.
But with Jake Muzzin off on a suspect call, Draisaitl and the Oilers’ power play, both overdue to begin clicking, restored the visitors’ lead.
With Edmonton managing shots, Frederik Andersen took his first career defeat to the Oilers in 14 decisions (12-1-1), having come into the game with a .928 save percentage. Josh Archibald had an empty netter.
At the other end, Koskinen won his first in four tries against the Leafs, helped by some dogged forechecking. He made a dandy power play glove save on Matthews in the second period, before the latter turned a take-away check into his second goal of the season.
Mcdavid probably didn’t care much that the anticipated TV ratings bonanza fizzled, more happy to have the club’s second win in five games. As did his coach Dave Tippett, wary of falling too far behind too early in a 56-game season, “The games come quick and when you’re not playing well, you’ve got to get it back,” he said after his team’s morning skate.
Tippett hoped keeping his lineup together a few games and the camaraderie of their first road trip under strict lockdown conditions will pay off against the Leafs.
“It’s a huge road trip,” for us Mcdavid said, hoping that the Oilers will come back from Toronto and two in Winnipeg “at .500 or better”.
Keefe had come back with his same unbalanced lineup of 11 forwards and seven defencemen from Monday’s 3-1 win over Winnipeg, his club’s most complete game thus far. But the Leafs, now 3-2, weren’t connecting in this one, tripping over themselves and in early penalty trouble.
The first period’s only goal was a weird one given the Matthews and Mcdavid match had provided a couple of better chances beforehand. The Leafs’ second line reversed flow to get organized and wound up giving the puck away behind their net. Kailer Yamamoto battled to pop it in front where Toronto’s Jimmy Vesey swiped to clear and banked it in off Muzzin.
The game marked the return of Tyson Barrie, the offensive defenceman who generally disappointed as a one-year Leaf. But he was chipper in the morning about his Toronto memories, carpooling with Matthews and noting he’s now played with a Hart Trophy winner in Mcdavid and two potentials in Colorado’s Nathan Mackinnon and Matthews.
“I’m ticking off all the top dogs,” said Barrie, who kibitzed with a few former mates during warm-up.
Barrie is anxious to get the potent Oilers’ power play rolling after some relays between him and the forwards were mistimed. Their sluggish numbers compared to the Leafs having the North’s best unit so far, 42.9 per cent going into Wednesday and a slightly better penalty kill than the Oilers.