This is the game Leafs Nation circled on their calendar. Cody Ceci. Zach Hyman. Jack Campbell (sort of). There’s no other reason why fans would be excited. Nada.
In the last game between the two Canadian powerhouses, with two of the most passionate online fanbases, the Toronto Maple Leafs managed to erase a 3-1 deficit to beat the Edmonton Oilers 7-4 in front of a packed Scotiabank Arena. Sure, the building was quiet at times, and it was definitely not a perfect effort, but it worked out in the end.
Fans got their money’s worth on Saturday. A couple of the game’s brightest stars taking centre stage on Hockey Night in Canada. All eyes were on Bay and Lakeshore, and it didn’t disappoint. That is, of course, unless you were one of the traveling Oilers fans out to watch with the Nation Vacation – sorry, boys and girls!
STOP SCORING SO FAST TORONTO GOOD GOD
— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) March 12, 2023
Fans got their money’s worth on Saturday. A couple of the game’s brightest stars taking centre stage on Hockey Night in Canada. All eyes were on Bay and Lakeshore, and it didn’t disappoint. That is, of course, unless you were one of the traveling Oilers fans out to watch with the Nation Vacation – sorry, boys and girls!
And, predictably, the game lived up to the hype. The teams traded goals early in the first (Noel Acciari for Toronto, Mattias Ekholm for Edmonton) before the Oilers snuck out to a 3-1 lead thanks to markers from Evander Kane and Connor McDavid.
But a wild seven-minute stretch saw the Leafs take a 5-3 lead into the third. Mitch Marner started it at 12:26, with William Nylander and John Tavares scoring about a minute apart each. Tavares’ second of the night at 38:55 put the game out of reach, and Auston Matthews made it 6-3 midway through the third.
A late goal by Leon Draisaitl brought the Oilers back into it, but it didn’t matter in the end. An empty netter by Acciari with 49 seconds to go sealed the deal in a wild 7-4 victory for the Leafs.
These are two clubs with a ton to prove. Expectations are always high, so it’s always must-watch hockey when they meet.
And it lived up to the hype on Saturday, that’s for sure.
MITCH MARNER, MAGIC MAN
On a night when all eyes were on No. 97, it was Toronto’s No. 16 that did the dazzling. With the Leafs desperately needing to find momentum late in the second, Mitch Marner scored one of the best goals of the season, stealing the puck in the slot before spinning around to deke Stuart Skinner and make it 3-2.
It was a goal that helped spark Toronto’s lineup, and on the following scoring chance, William Nylander surprised Skinner with a low snapper to make it 3-3 – all thanks to a Marner feed. Marner then set up John Tavares for the 5-3 goal for his third point in the final seven minutes of the middle stanza.
MITCH MARNER 🚨
THE MAGICAL HANDS OF FURY! pic.twitter.com/qQVJI7hh9T
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) March 12, 2023
When Marner’s hot, he’s hot. And tonight, when the Leafs needed a boost, he brought it. It was far from a perfect game for the Buds, but while the Oilers did an excellent job of slowing Auston Matthews, Marner was able to take over. It’s nights like these that show how valuable Marner truly is.
FOURTH LINE SHOUTOUT
The fourth line of ZAR, David Kampf and Noel Acciari came to play. They only played 3:45 in the first period, but outshot Edmonton’s top six 4-0. And, most importantly, they scored the first goal after Kampf did a spin move behind the net that ended on Acciari’s stick – and, shortly after, the back of the net. Acciari was then trusted with late-game duties and was rewarded with an empty-netter to cap off the evening, just for good measure.
Acciari’s presence has been well noted since the deal with St. Louis midway through the first. The chemistry is there, and he keeps finding ways to be dangerous, with and without the puck. The trio is good defensively, and we already know how successful Toronto is when Kampf scores, anyways.
MATT MURRAY, MAN…
Dude. That second goal. How?
Murray had a rocky first half of the game, allowing three goals on his first five shots. Mattias Ekholm scored Edmonton’s first goal to tie it up on a fairly good chance. But the two goals after were just rough. Murray can’t let goals in like the one Evander Kane scored, where the Oilers winger skated around the net on a simple wrap-around, lost a bit of control and still managed to tuck it in. Murray simply got beat. It wasn’t a hard goal to read – he just didn’t move. Kane froze him, and the Oilers found themselves in the lead.
Then, it was Connor McDavid’s turn. His shot seemed pretty harmless, but nothing truly is when it’s coming off No. 97’s stick. Still, it felt like Murray was expecting something much more dangerous and overthought the shot, one he’d like to have back. That fourth goal by Draisaitl in the third came on a tough angle, giving Edmonton some life. That just can’t go in, no matter the shooter.
Murray has been shaky in 2023. It just feels like there are too many down efforts, even in wins. The team in front of him didn’t make the first half easy, for sure, but it ended up a bit too close for comfort thanks to some questionable goaltending by No. 30.
WHAT’S NEXT?
After a quiet week, the Leafs will ramp things up with a four-game stretch – including three at home. The Buffalo Sabres will come to town for a matchup that’s always a thrill before hosting the defending Stanley Cup champs on Wednesday. Carolina – and potentially Freddy Andersen – will be in town Friday before the Buds make their way out east to fight Ottawa on Saturday.
So, buckle up, Leafs fans. It’s about to get busy.
