The Toronto Maple Leafs have not had a good start to this challenging part of the season. You can discuss routines and procedures all you want, but ultimately, nothing changes. That was quite frigid.
The Leafs have blown leads in four straight games, including Tuesday’s contest. They have conceded the game-winning goal in the final five minutes of regulation three times in a row, including this one against the Edmonton Oilers. We’ve spoken about how annoying it was that they could only score in overtime, and now that the game is tied, they can’t even reach that stage.
For the first half of the game, Auston Matthews was the only goal scorer for the Leafs, who were on fire right away. Zach Hyman’s goal came only seconds after Morgan Rielly’s second-period lead of two was nearly undone. Fortunately, the NHL’s Situation Room was on duty, and the goal was waved back due to offside.
Five minutes later, Leon Draisaitl scored Edmonton’s first goal with a backhand shot at an acute angle. Two minutes into the third quarter, Derek Ryan tied the score for the Oilers; with 4:05 remaining in regulation time, Ryan McLeod scored the game’s winning goal. After failing to clear the net, Evan Bouchard scored an empty net goal to seal the victory and end the Leafs’ four-game losing streak.