Leafs Postgame: Powered By Spite, Leafs Continue Hot Streak (7-2 Toronto)
If you had an axe to grind or a score to settle and you were wearing a white jersey tonight, you were in the right place. With a ton of hype and focus on a game where they were seen as clear underdogs, the Toronto Maple Leafs threw the hammer down on the Edmonton Oilers, showing little restraint in a convincing 7-2 victory on Saturday Night.
The Rundown
As mentioned in the pregame today, no one from the Maple Leafs’ goal scorers list in their last game against the Oilers was in tonight’s lineup. Someone who was on Edmonton’s box score was the first to score for the Leafs in this one, though, as Jack Roslovic took in a pass from Easton Cowan and, with some bobbling by Jake Walman, ultimately guided the puck past Tristan Jarry to give the Leafs the lead late in the first period.
Depsite a press from the Oilers to get back this game, much of which was answered handily by Anthony Stolarz, Toronto continued to let their intentions be known in the second. Auston Matthews, a veteran of now-Oilers coach Mike Babcock’s tenure in Toronto, also took in a feed from Cowan – this one actually counting for an assist – and made no mistake in burying it top-shelf. Troy Stecher, the hero on Thursday and himself a former Oiler, made it 3-0 with an expertly-timed pinch to take the puck back from Kirill Marchenko after sending it to him to begin with.
The Oilers broke up Anthony Stolarz’s shutout with 4-on-4 goal from Leon Draisaitl in the last minute of the second, but it didn’t force the Leafs into a shell. William Nylander buried a powerplay goal six minutes into the third to restore Toronto’s three-goal lead, and Zack MacEwen scored his first as a Leaf eight minutes after him via an incredible series of bounces that he ultimately arced past Jarry.
Draisaitl picked up a powerplay goal with four and a half minutes remaining to end Toronto’s nearly nine-game run of not conceding on the penalty kill, but that was a much fun as the Leafs would let the Oilers have the rest of the night. After the Oilers pulled their goalie following an offensive zone whistle and a TV time out, Nylander picked up his second of the night via an empty netter, and just when we all thought Toronto was done, Vinni Lettieri streaked in and buried his first with the big club to cap the night off.
Whether you were an ex-Oiler, an ex-Babcock player, or just someone whose NHL chops were doubted going into this year, it was probably a pretty productive night for you. Even if you weren’t, it was still a night that left a lot of Leafs players, staff, and fans pretty over the moon.
Notes
- Darren Raddysh winning top performer tonight is such an interesting one. On one hand, the main statline isn’t really gady in any particular way. As well, watching the game in a more casual setting (out with friends), he wasn’t someone who jumped out at you a lot as making big plays. At the same time, he and McCabe were the primary matchup for the McDavid line and they got out without giving up a 5-on-5 point, so while I still probably wouldn’t give him the first star, we’re not going to whine about this being fraudulent either.
- Speaking of guys who took McDavid head on, Auston Matthews spent more time against him than anyone (11:22 at 5v5, 13:55) overall, and he went on to score against him individually and as from a matchup perspective, outscore him 2-0 at 5v5 and 4-1 overall. Big night for 34 to make a statement to the rest of the league.
- Really happy for Vinni Lettieri to get that last one at the end. Didn’t really change the game, but after a couple years away from the league and what he contributed to the Marlies over this past year and change, that had to feel good for him.
- The Leafs need to find a way to convince Carolina and Winnipeg to face them as soon as possible, because this Jack Roslovic revenge tour over the past few games has been incredible. Impacts against Columbus, the Rangers, and now the Oilers must feel good for him as he has arguably the best start to a season of his career.
- Anthony Stolarz has had a rocky start to the season overall, but he’s pitched a few gems, and this was one of them. The only reason he’s showing up in the bottom performers” list is because there were basically no bad performers on the Leafs tonight, and goalie Game Score is just Goals Saved Above Expected. But he had some massive saves to go along with a statistically solid performance.
- The PK was going to give up another one eventually, and if any team was going to burst the seal, it may as well be these guys. No harm. There will probably be a bit of a counter-balance headed the other way soon, so hopefully the fans are level-headed, and the Leafs play disciplined so the inevitable tough nights don’t sink ships.
- Two meaningfully productive agmes in a row for the fourth line. Once again, hopefully this gives them the confidence to play assertive instead of as a punt team. The MacEwen goal was one of the funniest goals I’ve ever seen.
- I wonder what Babs is thinking tonight.
Up Next
The Leafs get a day off before heading over to Calgary to take on the Flames. That’ll be an 8:30 puck drop. If it were up to me, the two teams would play this game as a battle for who gets to keep the pitch of their goal horn.
Numbers Game
| Top Performers | Bottom Performers | Top Opponents |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Darren Raddysh (2.95) 0G, 1A, 0 SOG, +2, 46% xG | 1. Nick Paul (0.36) 0G, 0A, 1 SOG, +1, 33% | 1. Evan Bouchard (2.06) 0G, 2A, 3 SOG, -1, 59% xG |
| 2. Troy Stecher (2.81) 1G, 0A, 3 SOG, +2, 73% xG | 2. Colton Sissons (0.87) 0G, 0A, 2 SOG, +1, 85% | 2. Connor McDavid (0.60) 0G, 2A, 3 SOG, -2, 45% xG |
| 3. Auston Matthews (2.70) 1G, 0A, 2 SOG, +2, 41% xG | 3. Anthony Stolarz (1.13) 30 saves, 2 GA on 3.13 xGA | 3. Zach Hyman (0.54) 0G, 0A, 1 SOG, -2, 64% xG |
| Shots On Goal | 32-31 EDM | Faceoffs | 25 for 50 |
| 5v5 Shot Attempts | 46-33 NYI | Hits | 42-23 EDM |
| 5v5 Expected Goals | 2.68-2.01 TOR | Blocked Shots | 14-11 EDM |
| Best Period (xG) | 5v5: 2nd (83%) All: 2nd (67%) | Powerplay | 1 for 1 (1 shot) |
| Worst Period (xG) | 5v5: 1st (41%) All: 1st (35%) | Penalty Kill | 2 for 3 (4 shots) |
Table 1: Game Score via Dom, HockeyStatCards reccomended for full-game results
Table 2: Derived from NHL.com and Natural Stat Trick
Heatmap: via Natural Stat Trick
