Well, if both teams need extra reps for the power play and penalty kick, today’s game was perfect for them. The Leafs stayed hot and beat the Oilers 4-3, which meant three wins in a row. The Leafs finished the game with 2/4 in power play and the Oilers with 2/7.
The Leafs opened the scoring in the middle of the first round, courtesy of the man they call Vintage. Jason Spezza scores his first goal of the season after a Koskinen mistake behind the net.
JASON SPEZZA 🚨 1-0
The father is back! pic.twitter.com/dK1CoPFDg7
– Omar (@TicTacTOmar) January 29, 2021
William Nylander increased the Leafs lead and scored the goal as the Leafs power play to 2-0. Nylander’s third goal of the season ended a seven-game drought.
#LeafsForever until 2-0 after the 1st.
William Nylander on the PP and Spezza the goal scorers
🎧: https://t.co/C81TUUvLIP
– SiriusXM NHL Network Radio (@SiriusXMNHL) January 29, 2021
The Leafs carried that lead late into the second period … until the umpires decided to get into the game.
Kerfoot requested * review notes * slashed pic.twitter.com/dPENsudvnf
– Omar (@TicTacTOmar) January 29, 2021
Kerfoot is called because of the non-existent slash and sends the Oilers to power play. Zach Hyman wouldn’t be joining Kerfoot too long after when he tripped McDavid while trying to enter the Leafs Zone.
Connor McDavid (@ cmcdavid97) finds Leon Draisaitl in the power game! pic.twitter.com/jVLZNfiHao
– NHL (@NHL) January 29, 2021
The Oilers finally hit gold in this five-on-three power play when McDavid finds Draisaitl for the back-door one-timer to reduce the Leafs lead to one.
In the third phase, the Oilers and Leafs swapped power play goals. Leon Draisaitl added his second part of the game back to power play, with Wayne Simmonds answering for the Leafs, giving him three goals in his last three games. Zach Kassian would finish the game 3-3 before Auston Matthews lit the lamp to regain the lead for the Leafs.
leon draisaitl with goal number two in the night to 2-2, just before the leaves regain the lead –@zjlaing pic.twitter.com/oyW9Myc67V
– Oilersnation.com (@OilersNation) January 29, 2021
Textbook tip 🙌#LeafsForever | #BellLetsTalk pic.twitter.com/pRatPbpZSH
– Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) January 29, 2021
Oiler Bottom-Six 5 × 5 Goal Alert! zack kassian scores his first goal of the year and we have a draw. – –@zjlaing pic.twitter.com/lH1zq91CTZ
– Oilersnation.com (@OilersNation) January 29, 2021
GEEEZ, @ AM34 🔥#LeafsForever | #BellLetsTalk pic.twitter.com/3XENR7YqCo
– Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) January 29, 2021
It would be difficult late in the game as Nylander scored a penalty and gave the Oilers a power play late in the time. The Leafs survived the storm and can book a 4-3 victory. This makes them the first team in NHL history to record three wins in a row against teams from Alberta.
The Leafs came out hot in that game, taking a 2-0 lead before falling into penalty shootouts. The team played their game well enough and used their power play opportunities tonight while also keeping McDavid at bay.
Spezza looked really good tonight. The break in the last game definitely went on his feet when Spezza flew over the ice tonight. It was nice to see Spezza getting rewarded and scoring a goal tonight. Especially when you consider what happened the last time he played Edmonton.
Jason Spezza is about to tie it #LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/YAzGDOWxE9
– Here’s your replay ⬇️ (@HeresYourReplay) January 21, 2021
Kerfoot wasn’t having a bad game by any means, he was just taking a lot of unnecessary penalties. It is unacceptable to get three penalties in one game, especially in the offensive zone. I liked Kerfoot’s game a lot better this season than last. Sheldon Keefe has given him a defined role on this team and he is brilliant at it early this season. Hopefully Kerfoot got his penalty issues out of their system tonight.
The Leafs have tomorrow off before they face the Oilers again on Saturday night. The Leafs will be showcasing their brand new reverse retro jerseys. You can watch the game on Sportsnet West with a puck drop at 7:00 p.m. EST.
