Connor McDavid could drive away with this year’s NHL scoring title, but he encountered a speed bump on Saturday against the visiting Maple Leafs. William Nylander scored twice in a four-goal Leafs third period at Rogers Arena and Anthony Stolarz was brilliant with 30 saves as Toronto rolled over the Edmonton Oilers 7-2 for their fourth win in a row.
Nylander’s empty-netter — after his power-play marker gave the Leafs a 4-1 lead — was his 300th in the NHL, passing Rick Vaive for sixth in franchise history. The Oilers start of 8-1-1 under former Toronto coach Mike Babcock, in which McDavid has at least a point in each game, was topped by Toronto’s first four-game winning streak since Jan.
6-12 of last season. Stolarz, a surprise starter in net given Sergei Bobrovsky’s career success versus Edmonton, held the fort during a strong early push by the home team, which included two power plays.
A late goal by Leon Draisaitl, his second of the game — McDavid earning assists on both — halted Toronto’s league-leading penalty-kill streak at 30 straight. But Toronto got one in its only man advantage, Nylander’s third-period tally, before Zack MacEwen and Vinni Lettieri padded the lead, both with their first goals as Maple Leafs.
Edmonton thought it had life in the final minute of the middle period when Nick Paul was lured into coincidental minors with Owen Michaels, leading to 4-on-4 play, which of course favoured McDavid and Draisaitl to combine on a goal. The Leafs counted a pair earlier in the period, starting when Easton Cowan got behind the Oilers a second time for a 2-on-1, feeding Auston Matthews.
Just 54 seconds later, Kirill Marchenko found a rushing Troy Stecher high in the slot for the defenceman’s second goal in as many games. Toronto, which lost Chris Tanev, Marshall Rifai and Nick Blankenburg in recent days, used callup Dakota Mermis on its blueline, but leaned heavily on Darren Raddysh to counter McDavid in improving to 7-4-2.
The Leafs got out of the first period ahead, thanks to Stolarz’s saves, one that created the odd-man break with Cowan and Jack Roslovic. Oilers defenceman Jake Walman, who left game briefly when Roslovic was penalized for slamming him into the end boards in a puck race, accidentally backhanded Roslovic’s rebound past his own goalie.
Babcock’s won-lost record, after the Leafs finished a somewhat predictable last overall in 2015-16 to get Matthews as first pick overall, eventually was 173-133-45 in Toronto. But the shine came off the coach in three consecutive first-round playoff defeats including two Game 7’s in Boston by a combined 12-5 score where his management of Matthews, Mitch Marner and Nylander came into question.
He was replaced by Sheldon Keefe in November of 2019, and after an aborted tenure in Columbus in the summer of ‘23, finally made his way back back to the NHL when the Oilers front office and the players agreed his early-career success in Detroit, Toronto and with Team Canada outweighed recent history. “I had a great time,” Babcock told Sportsnet of his Toronto years before Saturday’s game.
“Larry Tanenbaum was spectacular as an owner. I liked the way they went about things.
We got (Matthews), set a record my third year (105 points). We built a program, but (didn’t get it done in playoffs).
“I like our leadership group (in Edmonton),” Babcock added. “They want to win, but we’re a long way from perfect.” That was certainly what unfolded Saturday.
The Leafs four-game western swing continues Monday in Calgary. Lhornby@postmedia.com X: @sunhornby
