NHL Game of the Week: Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Edmonton Oilers

The Toronto Maple Leafs and the Edmonton Oilers will play each other this Saturday at 7 p.m. at Rogers Place.

The last time both teams met, on November 16, Toronto won with a single-goal differential. Now, in the Oilers’ territory, will it be the same outcome, or will the crowd drive Edmonton to the win?

Leafs Keys To Win

The Toronto Maple Leafs are second in the Atlantic Division, only behind the Florida Panthers. However, they seem to have hit a slump of three matches without a single win. One of the possible reasons is goaltending.

The Leafs have constantly been affected by their goaltending for these past seasons. Currently, their main netminders are Joseph Woll and Anthony Stolarz. Even with a .900 save percentage, the two combined tally for a 2.88 goals-against average.

Another aspect is that we haven’t seen enough from Auston Matthews – who just named Team USA captain for the Four Nations Face-off – this season. The player who totaled 107 points during the 2023-24 season, currently holds 38 points. It is a good number, however, for a player like Matthews, it is not usual.

Against the Oilers, their main concern should be the opposing team’s power play. The team from Toronto holds the 13th-best penalty kill in the league, with 80 percent. If a penalty is assessed to the Oilers, this is where they will have to survive.

Oilers Keys To Win

Coming from a shootout loss against the Detroit Red Wings Thursday, the Oilers will aim to get back to the winning side of the rink.

Of course, you can’t talk about the Oilers without mentioning Connor McDavid at least once. In the team, he ranks first in assists (46) and second in both points (67) and goals (21). McDavid started the season at a slower pace than normal, but he’s already getting back on track.

However, the player to watch is unarguably Leon Draisaitl. The native from Cologne, Germany tallied seven points in the last five games, with three goals and four assists. The Center has been the essential pawn in the Oilers’ game.

As mentioned earlier, Edmonton has a big strength in their game: the power play. The Canadian team is seventh in the league in that aspect with a 24.4% efficiency. This is one of the biggest reasons why Edmonton stands at 32-15-4, ranking first in the Pacific division.

Goaltenders Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard totaled three shutouts and a 2.69 goals-against average.

Final Takeaways

Similarly to other “game of the week” matchups, this game will be decided on the small strategies and the contention of errors.

With both teams coming from losses, it’s expected that it will be a very important game for not only points but to bring back the confidence. However, only one can win.

Sofia Miranda is a first-year majoring in Journalism and Criminology. To contact her, email szc6483@psu.edu.