The Connor McDavid Eras Tour was in town Saturday night and Mitch Marner wanted nothing to do with it.
After breaking up a rush at one end, Marner would proceed to score his 200th career NHL goal to cap off a 4-3 overtime victory over McDavid’s Edmonton Oilers. Marner finished the night with one goal, one assist and a +3 rating, in 24 minutes of ice-time. Since Auston Matthews has been out of the lineup, Marner has recorded 10 points in six games. Stay hot, Mitch!
Edmonton’s lone visit to Toronto this season was an absolute track meet from the jump. It had a Stanley Cup Playoff feel, high intensity, lots of big hits, a game that was ugly, had pretty goals, beauty saves, and a whole bunch of storylines.
Bobby McMann and Matthew Knies are turning into absolute weapons for the Maple Leafs. McMann scored twice and had a couple other great looks in tight, while Knies scored his eighth of the season, played 21:05 — one second off his career-high — and once again was a beast in all three zones. With Max Pacioretty on the shelve, and Nick Robertson snake-bitten, Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube is getting a first-hand look at who should be running the left side of the ice among his top six.
McDavid loves playing in front of family and friends in Toronto, stretching his point streak to nine straight games at Scotiabank Areana. He was all over the ice, generating chances with his blazing speed and even got away with a penalty late in the third period after shooting John Tavares stick. Needless to say, Berube wasn’t happy.
An ugly scene in the second period saw Leafs forward Ryan Reaves delivered an ugly illegal hit to the head on Oilers’ defenseman Darnell Nurse. Reaves was assessed a match penalty, and very likely will be suspended for at least a few games. Nurse left the game and did not return: viewer discretion is advised.
With Matthews still nursing an upper-body injury, and several Maple Leafs playing through a variety of ailments, it’s good timing for the team to have just one game in the next seven days. Toronto welcomes the Vegas Golden Knights to Toronto on Wednesday, as Berube can get some practice days in, while his roster gets healthy.
The Oilers will face the Maple Leafs two more times this season, both in Edmonton. Could we see an early summer date as well?
