If lingering in a second-intermission bathroom break at home on Saturday night, or caught in a long beer line at Rogers Place, hopefully you saw a replay of Mitch Marner’s goal.
Five crisp passes out of the Maple Leafs’ zone, the last from Auston Matthews, end with Marner sweeping in for a five-hole goal, ringed by five flat-footed Oilers, to give the visitors a 4-1 lead. Not only was it the eventual winner (Toronto needed it when Edmonton almost staged a three-goal comeback), but it came on the first shift of the third period when the trailing home team should’ve been the aggressor.
That’s been a missing element on the Leafs of late and was a reminder of what the fully healthy first line — Marner, Matthews, and Matthew Knies, back from injury — can do when all-in. That, and a second line centred by a returning John Tavares and joined by an activated defence re-ignited the Leafs attack in their 4-3 win. For a Toronto team that struggled to get any offence in three previous losses — just one goal in each — Marner’s moves were simply “crazy” as Bobby McMann described from the Toronto bench.
“He was going back and forth, back and forth,” McMann told media in Edmonton, “like the triple deke from (the movie) The Mighty Ducks.”
Marner modestly mentioned some luck as goalie Stuart Skinner initially denied him, but the rejected puck hit the Leaf’s toe and went back through the wickets.
“I saw time and space,” Marner said.
His goal and assist topped him up to 70 points, making him the second-fastest Leaf to that mark the past 30 years (along with Matthews), and the sixth in franchise history. Marner’s helper on the first of two power-play strikes was just as significant as coach Craig Berube’s frequent sermons about getting pucks on net with the extra man finally sunk in. Knies and McMann established body position to bury rebounds.
“They got on the inside,” Berube said. “That’s how you score.”
SOMETHING EXTRA ON D
Saturday’s game didn’t go to overtime, but Toronto’s defence could’ve put in for extra pay.
When Oliver Ekman-Larsson suffered a lower-body injury during the first period and didn’t return, the remaining quintet had a busy evening, none more than Jake McCabe with a career-high 30:22 of ice time with five hits and three shot blocks.
He was also part of the Marner goal and, in a game-saving dash in the third period, had enough gas to chase down the breaking Connor McDavid and bump him off the puck.
And when not adding to his conference-high 137 shot blocks, that was Chris Tanev in goalie mode at the end, square to the puck behind an out-of-position Joseph Woll, had the sprawled goalie not got an out-stretched mitt on Corey Perry’s attempted buzzer-beater.
The Leafs had Sunday off, thus no update on Ekman-Larsson until practice in Calgary, ahead of Tuesday’s next stop on the four-game road trip.
LOCKING IT DOWN
When a bucket of sweat had been mopped up in the dressing room after surviving the Oilers final push and successfully challenging what would’ve been Leon Draisaitl’s tying goal, the Leafs’ unblemished record when leading after two periods had improved to 21-0-0.
Impressive, but not even halfway to the league record of 53, held by the 1977-78 Montreal Canadiens at the height of their most recent dynasty, as listed by NHL Stats. The Leafs are at least closer to the club record of 40, established by Sheldon Keefe’s 2021-22 squad.
“We got that 4-1 lead right away and let them come at us,” Berube said. “We could’ve been more aggressive (outshot 18-5 in the middle period).
“I’m not critiquing wins, because wins are wins, but we could’ve pushed more. But guys battled, our goalie was very good and we were down to five D. It felt like a playoff game.”
MARLIES HARVEST
The AHL Marlies completed their first ever California trip Saturday night, with a third-period, two-goal comeback to force overtime in Bakersfield before losing a 3-2 shootout to the Condors.
The team’s annual ‘Boat Show’ road swing, which included two wins in Winnipeg over the Manitoba Moose, ended with a record of 7-2-1.
“A long trip, it was good for us to grow as a team,” said coach John Gruden.
Winger Alex Steeves, who added his league-best 25th goal on Saturday, is now headed to the AHL all-star game in Palm Desert, Calif., with captain Logan Shaw, goalie Dennis Hildeby and Gruden.
LOOSE LEAFS
Tuesday will be Matthews’ 600th NHL game. After getting within one goal of passing Darryl Sittler for second place in franchise history (389-388), Matthews has none in his past three games, tying his season high … Once a consistent second-period scoring team, the Leafs have none in the middle frame the past four games … Winger Nick Robertson returned to the bench before Saturday’s game ended, after a shot block blast sent him limping to the dressing room. As he laboured on one leg to the bench, back-up goalie Matt Murray hauled him through the gate.
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