Bobby McMann scored twice and helped another goal as the Toronto Maple Leafs got a 5-0 lead and then defeated Connor McDavid’s Edmonton Oilers 6-3 on Saturday night.
Pontus Holmberg also scored twice, and William Nylander scored a goal and assisted another for Toronto (40-20-9), before Auston Matthews scored his 58th goal into an empty net.
John Tavares and Timothy Liljegren also assisted with two assists each. Ilya Samsonov made 31 saves before getting injured with 3:39 left in regulation. Martin Jones stopped five shots in mop-up duty.
Former Leafs winger Zach Hyman, Corey Perry, and Leon Draisaitl scored for Edmonton (42-22-4), which had a record of 9-1-2 in its last 12 games. McDavid had three assists, bringing his total to 89 for the season.
Stuart Skinner allowed five goals on 23 shots in two periods of work for the Oilers. Calvin Pickard made five stops in relief.
Before the game on Saturday, the focus was on McDavid and Matthews chasing impressive milestones, and Hyman being two goals away from 50 for the season.
Instead of the expected stars, Toronto’s supporting players took the spotlight despite some of their regular players being sick or injured.
McDavid is aiming to be the fourth player in NHL history to reach 100 assists, and Matthews could be the first to score 70 goals since 1992-93.
McMann scored his 12th goal of the 2023-24 season at 4:17 of the first period, and Nylander scored his 39th goal on a power play at 18:14.
Samsonov made a remarkable glove save on a shot by Edmonton defenseman Brett Kulak early in the second period.
Holmberg scored his fifth goal at 8:02 to make it a 3-0 lead after Matthews outpaced the opponent for the puck and Max Domi generously set up Holmberg for a wide-open net.
The Swede scored his second goal of the night 3:02 later on a 3-on-1 after the Leafs successfully killed a penalty.
Samsonov prevented Hyman, who never scored more than 21 goals in his five seasons with Toronto before leaving in free agency in July 2021, from scoring his 49th goal later in the period.
McMann then scored his 13th goal at 15:46 for a 5-0 lead after 40 minutes.
Hyman scored his 49th goal on a power play 4:59 into the third period, and Perry added his 10th on another man advantage at 8:32.
Draisaitl scored his 36th goal with 3:39 left and Pickard on the bench for an extra attacker.
The Oilers kept pushing, with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins hitting the post, but Toronto held on until Matthews secured the win.
The Leafs were missing injured forwards Mitch Marner and Calle Jarnkrok, while winger Tyler Bertuzzi and defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin were both absent due to illness.
T.J. Brodie was not included in the lineup for the second consecutive game, as the team aims to give the usually reliable defenseman a mental break during a challenging season before the playoffs.
LOOKING AHEAD
With the men’s international hockey schedule confirmed until the 2026 Olympics, McDavid mentioned that he has been thinking about what Canada’s roster might be like at the next year’s NHL 4 Nations Face-Off — and beyond.
“It’s very thrilling for hockey, and very thrilling for guys my age,” he said. “Some of these guys haven’t really had the opportunity.”
MURRAY SIGHTING
Leafs goalie Matt Murray, who underwent hip surgery before the season, was on the ice before Friday’s practice taking some shots from teammates.
Toronto head coach Sheldon Keefe said the session was the 29-year-old’s “biggest step” so far in his recovery.
“Great sign,” Keefe added. “(But) he’s a long way from being an option for games.”
UP NEXT
Toronto: Visits Carolina on Sunday.
Edmonton: Visits Ottawa on Sunday.
This report by The Canadian Press was initially published on March 23, 2024.
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