John Tavares is many things, and a liar is not one of them. The Leafs’ captain chose to focus on the “exciting” elements of taking on Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers ahead of the matchup … he wasn’t wrong.

This game had it all. Goals, scrums, saves, a lack of saves, hits, and questionable officiating. Even when the Leafs were losing, the game felt like it had an extra layer of intensity to it. Playoff-like even, and that had nothing to do with the lack of calls in the third period. The goaltending wasn’t where the team needed it to be but it was good enough for how Toronto played offensively and defensively, and the Leafs found a way to win.

When it was time to take the game by the horns and run with it, the core four was there to answer the call in a 7-4 victory on Saturday. Oh, and so was Noel Acciari.

On to the reports.

First Star 

Mitch Marner 

Give Marner a magic wand and a Superman cape. Not only did he trigger the comeback in the second period, but he did so in his own dynamic way with defence on his mind first. Marner used his stick to break up the pass then proceeded to make 10,000 moves on Stuart Skinner in an eighth of a second to make it 3-2.

MITCH MARNER 🚨

THE MAGICAL HANDS OF FURY! pic.twitter.com/qQVJI7hh9T

— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) March 12, 2023

Seconds later, he broke up another pass attempt to find William Nylander ahead of the game-tying goal. Another primary assist from the late-period power play brought his night total to three. Marner always seems to hit a fifth gear in games like these, where the focus is on Auston Matthews and McDavid.

And when you thought Marner was done making his defensive stick plays, he came up with another one late in the third period after coming out of the penalty box. Four points on the scoreboard but 1,000 points on the leadership board for Marner tonight.

Second Star 

John Tavares 

One of two Leafs to hit the 30-goal mark on the night, the captain walked away with two tallies.

JOHN TAVARES 🚨

JOHNNY TORONTO GETS THE GO-AHEAD! pic.twitter.com/1rM9w281rX

— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) March 12, 2023

Both of the goals were close and personal on Skinner, getting opportunities first from a Matthews feed and then following a loose puck on the power play.

JOHN TAVARES 🚨🚨

The Leafs are on fire! pic.twitter.com/NU0EWcXTMZ

— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) March 12, 2023

Tavares could’ve had three if a between-the-legs attempt wasn’t stopped on the power play. He instead had to settle for a bump pass assist to Matthews.

Third Star 

Noel Acciari

I can’t remember a time when the Leafs had a fourth-line centre this impactful on a game-by-game basis. I’d say this about his performance tonight without the goal he scored. He is the spoon that stirs that line’s drink. They’re heavier, work the boards better and support each other positionally. Acciari, especially, is either the first one on the puck or in a supporting role to keep it moving and swing it back to the point ahead of a reset. Additionally, Acciari keeps the opposition honest and on their toes while having the speed to overwhelm other players on the rush, with or without a helmet on. Then there’s the finishing.

NOEL ACCIARI 🚨

getting his cookies! pic.twitter.com/850FICT9Uk

— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) March 12, 2023

On his first goal of the game, Acciari followed up on the rebound chance from Zach Aston-Reese and beat Skinner. His second was a well-earned empty-net goal.

Noel Acciari gets his second of the night 🚨 pic.twitter.com/abCxTnncFD

— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) March 12, 2023

Player Reports:

A+

Auston Matthews

Tonight was all about the head-to-head against McDavid for Matthews, so much so that both coaches played them against each other for the majority of the game. They saw the most time against each other, took penalties against each other, and both found the back of the net. Matthews in a down year (he writes sarcastically) finally hit the 30-goal mark as his third-period tally made it 6-3 for the Leafs.

AUSTON MATTHEWS 🚨

TIC-TAC-30 GOALS pic.twitter.com/LAPkrgjOF8

— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) March 12, 2023

Matthews had an extra step on McDavid in the offensive zone, along the boards and below the red line. Matthews outworked McDavid in those tight areas, which led to a number of chances that looked as if they were coming out of nowhere. Matthews had moments of grabbing loose pucks and firing them at the net, or blitzes that turned into a random wraparound.

Matthews’ game wasn’t only centred around what he did against McDavid. He had some tosses with Darnell Nurse as well. Tavares’ first goal of the night doesn’t happen if not for Matthews lifting Nurse’s stick in the neutral zone, preventing Nurse from getting the puck.

Jake McCabe

If you were not a diehard McCabe fan before tonight’s game, this one has the most evidence for why you should be. He just does everything right. He’s so steady around the net and lets players play in the neutral zone. I’m surprised his play on Leon Draisaitl on the penalty kill didn’t get an isolated shot. McCabe kept him far right and then dropped, taking away all the space and using his body to stop the pass attempt.

McCabe is awesome pic.twitter.com/LpKFOOS8Bu

— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) March 12, 2023

When the puck was in the Leafs’ zone, McCabe and TJ Brodie did a great job of calmly corraling it, taking any force the Oilers tried to dish out and getting the puck out of their end. And as if defending plays isn’t enough, McCabe lets you know there’s a cost for getting too close to the net or trying to mess with his defence partners.

A

William Nylander 

Nylander was all over the puck in the opening two periods, whether he was lined up with Tavares or Sam Lafferty. He used his speed to circle the zone, drive the net and close the gap on pass attempts. With his 34th of the season, Nylander tied his total from last year.

WILLIAM NYLANDER 🚨

ALL-STAR MODE! pic.twitter.com/bn5allOrtF

— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) March 12, 2023

TJ Brodie 

The pairing of Brodie and McCabe is the shutdown pair Toronto has been looking for. In McCabe, Brodie has someone who, like him, thinks defence first. I was a big fan of Brodie’s tie-ups Saturday, either by shutting down individual players (such as McDavid) or clearing lanes for goaltender Matt Murray, allowing him to get an open look on shot attempts.

B

Mark Giordano 

The veteran had strong gaps on advancing players. Also, his read to stop the pass to McDavid late in the game was the definition of clutch.

David Kämpf 

Kämpf’s patented, “throw the puck back to the slot and see what happens,” paid off once again as it led to scoring chances for Aston-Reese and Acciari. Despite not being an offensive-minder player, he’s quietly put together a run of seven points in his last 10 games. I’m looking forward to seeing what this fourth line can do long term. Kämpf has the strength to win board battles and the awareness to peel off and grab loose pucks to make plays. He can continue to put numbers up if he gets more reps with players who can convert on chances.

Erik Gustafsson

We haven’t yet seen the power-play production from him that we thought we would, though I still thought Gustafsson was steady, especially when playing with Giordano.

Timothy Liljegren

The Vincent Desharnais headlock may be something people focus on and use as justification for why Liljegren can’t play in the playoffs (or even his tripping penalty, for that matter). Nevertheless, Liljegren is a very solid option to have in the top six. And I thought he was a good option to have out there on the penalty kill.

B-

Morgan Rielly 

The Oilers nearly got the scoring started earlier than the Mattias Ekholm goal after Rielly was late on an assignment while Liljegren was with his guy by the net. Later on, Rielly had some chances to get the offence going, almost picking the corner on Skinner and sending Matthews in on a chance four-on-four.

C+

Zach Aston-Reese

This line and this role works for Aston-Reese. He’s the first one on pucks and does a great job holding the opposition off along the boards. There was a moment when Aston-Reese had two Oilers and the puck pinned and instead of joining in as well, Kämpf floated back making himself available to get the puck and continue the cycle. This is where Aston-Reese can thrive, by doing the annoying work.

Justin Holl

Many played the “whose fault is it?” game on the Evander Kane goal. Murray played his part in it, but Holl could’ve played that a whole lot better. It looked as if he tried to cover both options, fending off the two-on-one of McDavid and Kane. He kept his distance, extending his stick toward McDavid and pivoted over to Kane once the pass was made. Yes, if Murray isn’t stuck, he makes the save and there’s no goal, but I’d like to see Holl actively commit to taking on one of those options. Either get in McDavid’s space or anticipate the pass and don’t even let it become a scoring chance.

C

Sam Lafferty

You definitely want Nylander carrying the puck into the zone as much as possible, though I liked the times Lafferty used his speed to break in on his own. Unfortunately, he shoulders responsibility on that Ekholm goal. You can see Jarnkrok gesturing to Lafferty to cover the right side of the ice as he drifted over way too much, leaving Ekholm a wide-open lane to skate in and shoot on Murray.

Michael Bunting 

I really wasn’t a fan of Bunting’s effort on the backcheck ahead of McDavid’s goal. Both Brodie and McCabe had their players tied up, yet No. 97 had a clear lane to the net without any disturbance from behind. At least he made up for it on the entertainment part of the game. Officials just seem to love him nowadays.

the refs didn’t call any of this lol pic.twitter.com/Hv5RAAKGNa

— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) March 12, 2023

Calle Järnkrok

Järnkrok didn’t get a shot on goal despite getting 2:39 of power-play time. That’s puzzling and a bit frustrating considering the speed of his release. I do wonder if Jarnkrok is trying to get closer to the net on his chances. Although he didn’t fire the puck on Skinner, he had a few dash attempts to the crease.

C-

Alex Kerfoot 

He made the right moves without the puck but had some puzzling moments with it. The piles of chances without a goal speaks for itself, but when on the ice defending a lead, Kerfoot went for a between-the-legs no-look pass, which was immediately picked off.

D

Matt Murray

At the 17-minute mark of the second period, the Leafs had allowed three goals on 10 shots. Murray made that game far closer than it should’ve been. That’s not to say the Oilers don’t have weapons. However, the goals Murray allowed were anchors for the team and luckily they were able to overcome it. The Ekholm goal came at the cost of a defensive blunder in the Leafs’ end, but Murray was beaten clean over the shoulder. I’m also willing to cut him slack on the McDavid goal. However, with a one-goal game you need a save there instead of getting beat five-hole. The Kane goal is a horrible misplay on his end.

Evander Kane makes it 2-1 pic.twitter.com/tqVNuM9nOR

— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) March 12, 2023

It looked as if his skate was tied up on the right, leaving a lot of space for the wraparound goal. Draisaitl’s goal in the third was similar. Not a wraparound, though Murray’s pad wasn’t secure against the left post and was instead a backboard for the puck. Murray’s third period saved him from getting an F. His glove save on Draisaitl, the one-on-one against McDavid and the left pad save on Zach Hyman were all solid stops.

Murray 1v1 against McDavid gets some redemption pic.twitter.com/lX2PRGjqDH

— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) March 12, 2023

Game Score 

Final grade: A

Now, this was a hockey game. The Leafs were down 3-1 in the second and, remembering they’re one of the highest-scoring teams in the middle frame, went on to score three goals in three minutes to take the lead. Marner, Nylander, Tavares and Matthews, the core four, stepped up to the plate and hit home run after home run. The team, overall, made it pretty uncomfortable for Skinner. A lot of their best looks were right in front of him. In fact, the Leafs had very few shot attempts from the perimeter. They took the puck to the dangerous areas and made use of those quick defence-to-offence transitions.

The big wart has to be the goaltending. Murray got the win after allowing four goals on 26 shots. The blunders didn’t even stop when the Leafs were in the lead, as Draisaitl’s 42nd of the year wasn’t highlight-worthy. If you’re using individual performances as means of deciding who gets the start Game 1 of the playoffs, this isn’t going to bode well for Murray.

What’s next for the Leafs? 

There are serious stakes in the Leafs’ next game Monday night (7:30 p.m. ET on Sportsnet) as their homestand continues. Not so much for the blue and white, as they’re in a playoff spot already. The Buffalo Sabres, on the other hand, are desperate to catch one of those wild-card teams. That should make for an interesting match. Maybe Acciari will get the hat trick this time.

(Photo: Cole Burston / The Canadian Press via AP)

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