TALENT SHOW
Leafs win entertaining tilt with Oilers, with assists from unusual suspects
It would probably be too much to ask for the Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers to meet in the Stanley Cup final, although the players wouldn’t argue with that idea.
Both teams have enough high-end talent to qualify for Stanley Cup consideration, but neither has had much by way of playoff success in the past eight seasons.
But considering the star power of Auston Matthews and Connor McDavid and the crisp, fast, skilled, edgy, physical and unpredictable way Saturday night’s game played out at Scotiabank Arena, a Cup final between the teams would be entertaining and invigorating.
The Leafs scored early and often, then withstood a third-period push by the Oilers and held on for a 6-3 win.
There was concern, however, for goalie Ilya Samsonov, who was injured with 3:39 to go, favouring his right arm as he spread-eagled to try to stop a Leon Draisaitl shot. The game featured all four goalies. The Leafs chased Stuart Skinner, who was replaced by Calvin Pickard to start the third period, while Martin Jones came in for Samsonov.
In a game loaded with expensive and explosive star power, who had Bobby McMann and Pontus Holmberg as Toronto’s scoring heroes?
It was probably sweetest for McMann, who grew up an Oilers fan in Wainwright, Alta., with fond memories of Ales Hemsky and Edmonton’s trip to the 2006 Stanley Cup final. But Holmberg was right there, too, in a season where he’s establishing himself as a versatile winger and getting a chance in a top-six role in the absence of Tyler Bertuzzi (illness), Mitch Marner (high ankle sprain) and Calle Järnkrok (hand).
It’s not like the Leafs’ big names did nothing. William Nylander had a goal and an assist and is on his third five-game goal streak of the season. John Tavares picked up two assists and now has four-straight multi-point games. And Matthews scored his 58th goal into an empty net as he chases 60 for the second time in his career.
The game also had a physical side. Jake McCabe got in a big hit on Draisaitl. Simon Benoit threw his weight around. The Oilers’ Darnell Nurse drew a 10-minute misconduct for some after-the-whistle shenanigans. And Max Domi and Mattias Janmark exchanged blows in the third period. Domi finished a goal shy of a Gordie Howe hat trick.
The never-quit Oilers pushed in the third, with Zach Hyman and Corey Perry scoring on the power play. Hyman, the ex-Leaf, is one shy of his first 50-goal season. Connor McDavid picked up assists on all three Edmonton goals and now has 89, as he tries to become the fourth NHLer to record 100 in a season.
Shaq Hyman
If there was a bigger story line than the Matthews-McDavid matchup, it was the rise of Hyman. You could tell by the way he smiled, and by the look in his eye, that Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe was proud.
“When I was with the Marlies, we called him Shaq Hyman for a reason, because he got to the paint more and better than anybody. And now he’s playing with the guy that gets the puck to the paint and tilts the ice more than anybody, maybe in the history of the game. So, it’s a good fit.
“He works to get to the right places and he’s getting rewarded for it.
Hyman’s effort was never questioned, but the idea of him scoring at the rate he has this season was a long shot. He left the Leafs as a free agent and is in his third season in Edmonton. He has no regrets.
“It’s obviously worked out as best as it possibly could have worked out,” Hyman said.
But there’s friendship, and then there’s competition.
“It’s been lots of fun seeing him having great success there in Edmonton, as a friend,” Nylander said before the game. “It’s fun to play against him, too. I mean, he’s two (goals) from 50, so not tonight.”
Hyman got one, but not two.
Matthews vs. McDavid
It always feels like an event when the Leafs play the Oilers, maybe because the star power suggests anything can happen. In their previous meeting, the Leafs were in good shape with a 2-0 lead, but the Oilers scored four unanswered goals — including three in the third period — for a 4-2 win.
“Both teams are at a different spot now,” Keefe said. “It’s been a couple of months since we’ve seen them. They were rolling extremely well then. They’re rolling now.”
The Oilers took the game to the Leafs in the first few minutes, but the Leafs were up 5-0 after the first 40 minutes. McMann and Nylander scored in the first period. Holmberg, with two, and McMann scored in the second.
It’s not like the Leafs outplayed the Oilers. But before his injury, Samsonov definitely outplayed Skinner. Toronto held a slight 23-21 shots advantage. Both teams were credited with five high-danger chances through 40 minutes. The Leafs scored on theirs; Samsonov made sure the Oilers didn’t.