The Edmonton Oilers suffered a tough overtime loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night, blowing a 2-1 lead and ultimately losing 4-3. Adam Henrique, Connor McDavid, and Leon Draisaitl scored for the Oilers. Bobby McMann scored twice for the Maple Leafs, with Matthew Knies scoring once and Mitch Marner getting the overtime winner. The big takeaway from the game was the brutal hit by Ryan Reaves on Darnell Nurse. Nurse left the game with an injury and Reaves is sure to face supplemental discipline.
Here are key takeaways from Saturday night’s game:
Marner the Hero for the Maple Leafs, Bouchard… Not So Much
Once again, the Oilers couldn’t hold onto a lead in the final minutes. Despite a generally solid performance, they made costly mistakes as they tried to hold the lead, including not playing offense and making costly turnovers. Credit to the Leafs who pushed, but the Oilers have a tendency to get complacent in the final minutes when holding a lead. It tends to cost them.
Allowing the Maple Leafs to tie the game, Evan Bouchard tried to clear the puck on the Maple Leafs’ tying goal and banked it right off of McDavid. Knies picked up the puck and wired it past Stuart Skinner. Not much later, when McMann was skating in Bouchard gave up on the backcheck as Mattias Ekholm was behind McMann. The Maple Leafs took the lead on a nifty move by McMann.
The Oilers had this game under control, but risky plays over safe and pressing down on the gas pedal led to the loss.
McDavid and Draisaitl Continue to Put Up Points
Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl each had a goal and an assist, extending McDavid’s impressive run to 11 points in his last four games. Draistl scored again, keeping him right among the league leaders for goals. However, the duo’s overtime misplay led to a 2-on-1 break in overtime resulting in Mitch Marner’s game-winning goal—his 200th career NHL tally.
Draisaitl tried to force a pass with the Leafs collapsed in front of the net. That left Bouchard on his own to try and defend the two-on-one.
Oilers Lose Nurse After Ryan Reaves’ Controversial Hit
Ryan Reaves was ejected after delivering a brutal, head-targeting hit on Darnell Nurse. Nurse was left shaken and bloodied seemed to avoid serious injury. He didn’t return to the game so it’s too soon to judge if the injury is going to be something that keeps him out of the lineup on Monday. The Oilers can’t afford to lose him and he was just starting to find his rhythm, having scored three points in the most recent game versus the Nashville Predators.
The NHL will undoubtedly review the incident, with Reaves potentially facing a suspension. He’s been suspended three times and this was a direct hit to the head.
Next up, the Oilers face the Montreal Canadiens on Monday, needing to tighten up defensively and better protect their leads.
