The Edmonton Oilers' streak of scoring three goals in a game might have come to an end on Saturday night, but it didn't end up impacting the final result. After losing the first of two head-to-head matchups against the Toronto Maple Leafs by a 7-2 scoreline, the Oilers recorded a 1-0 defensive masterclass at Scotiabank Arena.
Despite the end of that streak, the victory was Edmonton's first of the season where they didn't score at least three goals. The Oilers had lost both such contests in regulation, with one of them coming against the Leafs. Though they are still 1-2-0 in such games, the Oilers have now proven that they can win both in a shootout and in a grind-it-out style of game.
The Oilers will also end the first quarter of the 2026-27 regular season with a 15-3-3 record. If they continue at that pace, they will finish the season with 132 points.
The scoring might not be the biggest point of analysis from Saturday's game, but here are some points of discussion as the Oilers continue their road trip.
The offensive side of the contest generally came in batches
Unfortunately, that was something that benefitted both the Oilers and the Leafs.
Toronto opened the game with a 3-0 margin in terms of shots on goal, but the Oilers went on a 4-1 run to level that metric after roughly eight minutes of play. For the next two minutes, Toronto controlled the pace of the game and recorded a pair of wraparound chances, but the Oilers responded with their own change in tempo; both Connor McDavid and the Mathieu Joseph - Alex Formenton - Owen Michaels trio recorded their own attempts to set the Oilers up in the Leafs end using their speed. Those attempts did yield a few shot attempts but nothing too high-danger for Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz.
The same held true during the second period and was only reinforced by the pair of power plays that occured during the frame's first 10 minutes. Whereas the Leafs controlled the offensive momentum in and around their power play, the Oilers did the same with regard to their opportunity. That said, Edmonton was able to build off of their special teams opportunity, and it ultimately yielded their first goal of the game.
The Leafs would win back momentum to start the third period, and John Tavares initially brought Toronto level before a video review erased his goal. From there, the Oilers controlled the pace of the game for much of the third period, up until the Leafs put together their end-of-game offensive push.
Speed and stretch passes acted as assets for the Oilers
The Oilers looked far faster and more potent in this second game against the Leafs. Part of that came because of their ability to stretch the Leafs' on-ice formation and create rush opportunities in any situation.
Immediately after the conclusion of the Leafs' only power play of the game, the Oilers got the puck out of the zone and up to Trent Frederic, who was coming out of the penalty box at the time. Despite selling the pass and getting a shot off during the ensuing two-on-one, Frederic's opportunity ultimately hit both goalposts and stayed out of the net.
Those stretch passes were a hallmark of Edmonton's gameplan against Toronto. Whereas the problem in the first matchup was that the Oilers got the scoring chances but couldn't do so consistently or with enough of a high-pressure mentality, the Oilers were able to consistently keep the Leafs on their toes and come back up the ice with a reasonably decent chance to score. One opportunity came late in the second period after Easton Cowan won a puck battle against Mattias Ekholm. The former's inability to turn the takeaway into a tangible scoring opportunity led to a high-speed chance from McDavid that saw the Oilers get up the ice with numbers and ultimately create a sustained possession that got the team to the second intermission.
Edmonton's skating also came into play defensively. One instance came during the third period when Zach Hyman chased down Troy Stecher for a loose puck, ultimately winning two board battles as he tried to wrest possession back from the Leafs.
Other notable instances in this regard saw Formenton create a handful of high-speed chances, while Vasily Podkolzin record a pair of stretch passes as he played his part in trying to turn Toronto's offensive possessions into scoring chances going the other way.
It's Evan Bouchard's turn to lead the scoring
After recording the overtime winner during the Oilers' midweek encounter with the Philadelphia Flyers, Evan Bouchard scored the only goal of the game against the Leafs. Given that the Oilers ended up winning 1-0, Bouchard now represents the last 65 minutes worth of scoring for the team.
Bouchard's latest ascent to the top of the Oilers' offensive hierarchy likely won't last long, but it's still an opportunity a lot of people would cherish.
Another goaltending duel helps cement Edmonton's unit as one that is vastly improved
Stolarz had himself a strong outing in the first encounter of the season between the Oilers and the Leafs, with the win coming against Tristan Jarry. But Devon Levi was in net this time, and he was more than capable of responding to Stolarz' best efforts. Though Stolarz recorded a .957 save percentage on 23 total shots faced, Levi was able to put together his first career NHL shutout after facing 20 total scoring chances.
The win and shutout also helped the Oilers' goaltending to continue their resurgence in that regard. Last season, the Oilers recorded five shutouts across 82 games; though that was tied for the sixth-most, it was still almost half that of the New York Islanders, who recorded nine shutouts. But with Levi's shutout against the Leafs in mind, the Oilers are already halfway to their tally of five clean sheets from last season.
What's next?
The Oilers' road trip continues when they head southeast to take on the Flyers on Sunday night at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time. Having already swept the New York Rangers, the Oilers will complete their second series sweep of the season if they beat the Flyers in any fashion.
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