It has been a long time – decades, perhaps – since an encounter between the Maple Leafs and the Oilers has looked so enticing.
Both teams are in the NHL playoff hunt as they enter Monday’s proceedings at Scotiabank Arena. Toronto is 10-1-1 over its past dozen outings, including a shutout win over the Islanders on Saturday night. A few hours earlier, Edmonton laid a licking on Boston in Beantown. They won more faceoffs, had more hits and got better goaltending than those thorny Bruins that Torontonians have grown to love so dearly.
For fireworks and intrigue, there is so much more.
The Oilers’ Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid are tied for first in the NHL in scoring with 65 points each. Toronto’s Auston Matthews is second in goals. Frederik Andersen leads the league’s netminders with 21 wins.
It promises to be the kind of wildly entertaining game that Sheldon Keefe would love to watch if he weren’t busy building a moat around Andersen and supervising troop movements.
“This is a great chance for our fans,” the Maple Leafs coach said Sunday afternoon after the team skated at the Ford Performance Centre in suburban Toronto. “These are the most exciting players you’d ever want to watch.”
A victory over the Islanders on Saturday improved Toronto’s record to 15-4-1 since Keefe replaced Mike Babcock. The team was 9-10-4 and seemingly mired in quicksand when he took over. Just to reach the playoffs seemed doubtful, let alone to become a high seed.
They are on that path, but Keefe said he has not thought about it.
“Every day brings a new challenge and, I said it before and I still believe, we’re still not close to where I think we can get to,” Keefe said. "I think we’ve got a lot of room to grow as a team. That’s exciting and that’s what keeps us working.
"I’ve had a lot of experience with coaching teams that go on stretches and runs like this. You recognize that you’re not going to be satisfied.”
As a result of its rapid turnaround, Toronto enters the first full week in January second in the Atlantic Division and fifth in the Eastern Conference. After a strong start, the Oilers scuffled a bit recently, but have earned three of a possible four points on a trip that began with an overtime defeat in Buffalo. They are 2-0-1 since the Christmas break and seem to be regaining their early form.
“We have made some strides in the last few games,” Dave Tippett, Edmonton’s first-year coach, said after the Oilers practised at the Leafs’ facility on Sunday. “Hopefully, it will continue. People are in better spirits."
They won in Boston behind backup goalie Mike Smith.
“Boston is good and especially good at home,” said Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, the Oilers forward. “Winning the way we did should be a confidence boost for us. It shows what we can do.”
Draisaitl and McDavid each scored in Saturday’s 4-1 victory. The goal was Draisaitl’s 24th and the Oilers captain has only one fewer. McDavid was raised just north of Toronto in suburban Newmarket and would love to put on a show.
“When you come for a game in Toronto, you don’t need any more incentive than that,” he said.
The Maple Leafs shut down the Oilers’ superstar sidekicks during a 4-1 victory in Edmonton on Dec. 14. Accomplishing that a second time will likely prove difficult.
“Anytime you play against someone like them or Sidney Crosby or Alex Ovechkin, you want to do your best to keep them off the score sheet because you know not many people are able to,” said Tyson Barrie, the Toronto defenceman. “There is a reason they are considered the best players in the world."
The Maple Leafs will counter with Matthews, who notched his 28th goal of the season against the Islanders. He leads Toronto in a handful of offensive categories and has nine goals and eight assists over his past nine games.
“We’ve shown we can score goals and have players with unique talent,” Maple Leafs forward Zach Hyman said. “This should be a pretty exciting game for fans. You always want to get a chance to see elite players, and each of us has them.”
Andersen is 21-8-4 and sits in the middle of the pack with a .916 save percentage. He took a breather on Saturday and his backup, Michael Hutchinson, had 33 saves and shut out the Islanders.
Oilers starting goalie Mikko Koskinen enters the skirmish 14-8-2 with a .912 save percentage. He should be feeling fresh after Smith filled in for him on Saturday.
It has been a while since these teams have played with as much at stake. It is past the midway point in the season. Wins and losses matter more. In another month or two, a few points will separate teams that are playoff-bound from the ones that only wish they were.
Maple Leafs and Oilers on Monday night in Toronto. It hasn’t been better than this for a long time.
Marty Klinkenberg