Maple Leafs facing Edmonton squad leaking lots of oil
McDavid and company hope high-profile game against Toronto just what they need
LANCE HORNBY
EDMONTON Toronto Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock can’t really knock on the door of Todd McLellan’s office and ask, “Is this a good time?”
Maybe Edmonton Oilers coach McLellan would prefer this annual visit by the Maple Leafs come at a later date because his team is definitely not at its best. Anger in the stands and disappointment in the dressing room are palpable with the team that sits second last in the Pacific Division.
General manager Peter Chiarelli, under fire for personnel moves that have yet to bear fruit, had a media briefing Tuesday to address what’s gone wrong for the team many around the hockey world picked to come out of the West in June. Now there is worry they won’t make up the lost ground in time to make the playoffs.
“Death by a thousand paper cuts,” was Chiarelli’s assessment of small woes that have added up to big problems, a new trouble spot bubbling up as soon as one is seemingly contained.
Meanwhile, Connor McDavid is quickly growing tired of the daily line of questioning, intensifying with the end of the CFL season that makes their plight the sole focus of sports fans in Edmonton.
On Wednesday, the Leafs rolled into town, fresh off a win in Calgary to launch a three-game road trip. Toronto is late to the rebuild game, but in less than two seasons since adding Auston Matthews to a stable of young stars, it looks as though they’ve caught the Oilers in many respects. If goalie Frederik Andersen and the Leafs’ improved defensive posture hold up Thursday, it won’t end well for the offensively challenged Oilers.
“You’d like to get teams when they’re struggling or are injured,” McLellan said. “But you don’t get to sit back in the summer and say, ‘This would be the day we’d like this team or that team.’
“The Leafs are a very good team who play with confidence, with the ability to win in a lot of different ways. We know it’s going to be a tough game.”
Yet Toronto could also be just what the doctor ordered, an Eastern seaboard audience for Ontario players, including McDavid, who would love to outshine Matthews. A comparison was made to McDavid going the extra mile when playing Sidney Crosby.
“Whenever you go up against one of the game’s best, you want to bring your best.” McDavid said. “(Matthews) has one of the best shots in the league in terms of how fast he can get it off and the accuracy. He’s a special player.”
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who saved the day against the Coyotes, wants the two points, no matter who is across the ice.
“We need to take pride in every game and get some confidence for the second half,” Nugent-Hopkins said. “We’ve dug ourselves a hole, it’s up to us to get out of it.”