Maple Leafs rout Oilers 7-2 as Nylander scores twice

EDMONTON – The Toronto Maple Leafs scored four times in the third period to beat the Edmonton Oilers 7-2 on Saturday night at Rogers Place.

William Nylander scored twice, including an empty-net goal at 17:56 of the third period, and Auston Matthews, Troy Stecher, Jack Roslovic, Zack MacEwen and Vinni Lettieri also scored for Toronto, according to the game’s official box score as published by ESPN and CBS Sports. Leon Draisaitl scored both Edmonton goals.

Anthony Stolarz made 30 saves on 32 shots for the Leafs. Tristan Jarry stopped 25 of 30 for the Oilers, who came in at 8-1-1 and allowed six goals on 30 shots, CBS Sports reported. Toronto entered at 6-4-2.

Roslovic opened the scoring at 14:16 of the first period. Matthews made it 2-0 at 5:29 of the second with a wrist shot, set up by Easton Cowan and Roslovic, and Stecher added a snap shot less than a minute later at 6:23 to put Toronto ahead 3-0.

Draisaitl cut the lead to 3-1 with 56 seconds left in the second period, on a pass from Connor McDavid and Evan Bouchard. That was as close as Edmonton got. Nylander scored on the power play at 5:59 of the third, with assists from Darren Raddysh and Kirill Marchenko, and MacEwen made it 5-1 at 13:39.

Draisaitl scored again on the power play at 16:35, his 12th of the season, to make it 5-2. Nylander then scored into an empty net, and Lettieri added a seventh goal in the final minute on a pass from rookie Gavin McKenna, the first overall pick in the most recent NHL draft.

The game was physical. Lettieri fought Edmonton’s Connor Murphy in the second period, and the teams combined for 10 penalties, including the fighting majors, according to the CBS Sports box score. The Oilers outhit the Leafs 41-23, ESPN’s box score showed.

The game also set off a wave of online searches in Canada for Draisaitl. Marker Zone reported that Draisaitl cross-checked Matthews in the ribs during the game, with video showing Matthews down on the ice. The outlet said it was not clear from the clip whether a penalty was called, and no discipline from the NHL Department of Player Safety had been reported as of late Saturday. Neither box score lists a penalty for either player.

Marker Zone also reported that Edmonton defenceman Jake Walman left the game with an injury earlier in the night. The Oilers had not provided an update when the game ended.

Toronto recently beat the Rangers 5-4 on a late goal by Stecher, as Canada News Media reported. Edmonton’s stars have carried the team in other games, including a night when McDavid and Draisaitl had five points each in a shootout win.

Marchenko, who had two assists Saturday, returned to the Leafs lineup in a 6-2 win over Columbus.

File photo of Auston Matthews, not from Saturday’s game: Dec. 9, 2017, at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh. Photo by Michael Miller, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

If you find reporting like this useful, consider supporting Canada News Media, an independent Canadian newsroom with no corporate parent.