EDMONTON — How perfect were the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday?
Well, they didn’t take a single penalty, and they shut out the Edmonton Oilers 4-0 minus their best player (Auston Matthews) and with backup goalie Jack Campbell between the pipes.
“They played such a good game; they were so solid everywhere,” said Connor McDavid, when asked on Monday how his team managed not to get even a single powerplay for the first time all season. “They were never in a desperate situation where they needed to hook or hold a guy. Part of that is us not going hard enough to the net or making enough plays. Another part is them just playing so well and being in the right position all of the time.
“Kind of weird to not get a powerplay. But you’ve got to give a lot of the credit to them. They did a lot of things right.”
On Monday, the Leafs will go down their goaltending ladder a spot, while Edmonton starts Mikko Koskinen, part of a 50-50 situation in the Oilers goal.
Leafs-Oilers, Round 2. Here’s what you need to know:
A change on the blue line
Minor changes in the Oilers lineup, but one that will make a lot of fans happy as youngster Evan Bouchard looks to draw in, with Kris Russell coming out.
The issue here for Dave Tippett is, Russell is a penalty killer, and one of three left-shot defencemen. Bouchard does not kill penalties, and his presence makes four right-shot D-men in Edmonton’s lineup.
Judging by what we saw at the morning skate Monday, the 21-year-old Bouchard will play the left side next to Ethan Bear.
“Bouch has practised on the left side and played some left side in junior. He’s a guy that we’ve kind of earmarked (as a guy) who can go over there,” said Tippett, who is cognisant of asking a young player to play his off side. “He’s comfortable with it. If he wasn’t comfortable with it, it would be a tougher decision.”
Here are your Oilers lines and pairings Monday:
Nugent-Hopkins, McDavid, Puljujarvi
Kahun, Draisaitl, Yamamoto
Ennis, Khaira, Archibald
Chiasson, Haas, P.Russell
Nurse, Barrie
Jones, Larsson
Bouchard, Bear
Koskinen
Two questions for Leafs
As for Toronto, there are two burning issues here: Will Auston Mathews play? And who starts in goal?
While head coach Sheldon Keefe called it “a game-time decision” we suspect no for Matthews, who practiced long after the regulars had left the morning skate on Monday. As for the goalie, Michael Hutchinson spent the practice in the starter’s net, while Campbell did not practice on Sunday or Monday.
We know that coaches don’t like to change a winning lineup, but Keefe would make an exception where Mathews is concerned, no doubt.
“I think we would always find room for Auston,” said Keefe.
Like every NHL coach, he’s had to take a new look at roster management this season, with a lot of games in a short period, and a super-sized roster full of guys who want to play.
“No matter how you play as a team you’re always evaluating what’s happening,” Keefe said. “We’ve shown throughout the season we want to utilize our depth and keep people involved with our group. I don’t think, especially with injuries and such that we’ve ever ruled anybody out to being in the mix and we have to continue to balance that. Certainly, when you come off a good game and you’re feeling good, you want to give the group another opportunity to go.”
Here is how we suspect the Leafs will line up Monday:
Thornton, Tavares, Marner
Barbanov, Kerfoot, Nylander
Hyman, Engvall, Mikheyev
Petan, Boyd, Spezza
Rielly, Brodie
Muzzin, Holl
Dermott, Bogosian
Hutchinson
Can Leafs silence McDavid again?
The Leafs held Connor McDavid to zero points on a minus-three night for the Oilers captain on Saturday. What are the chances they handle the Oilers as easily tonight?
“I think we’ve been all right in games where we’re coming off of losses,” said McDavid, whose Oilers are 6-2 in the next game after a loss this season.
The Maple Leafs are ready for a renewed effort from a Edmonton team that fell to six points behind Toronto in the North, and doesn’t want to let them get away.
“They’re going to come back hard,” Zach Hyman said. “I think this whole season series we’ve had against them has been back and forth. They’re going to come out with their best and we’re going to be ready for that. It’ll be a really good game.”
Truly, the season series now sits at 3-2 for Toronto, with the teams splitting games in Toronto, then again in Edmonton, before opening this three-game set on Saturday.
Toronto made it hard on McDavid to find his trademark speed through the neutral zone Saturday, playing the middle of the ice to perfection. He knows what the solution is, and we would predict a more concerted effort from No. 97 tonight.
“Just continuing to fight through some of those checks. Continuing to skate puts guys on their heels,” McDavid said. “And when things aren’t going to happen through the middle you put pucks in and try to get ‘em back, and start rolling around in the offensive zone.
“It’s nothing new from what I’ve faced. I have to be better, I guess.”
Said Tippett: “There are situations in the game that dictate. When you’re on transition, you get openings. If you’re facing real tight structure, you have to read and react. That’s part of the game.”
