Game Notes: Oilers @ Maple Leafs — Game 35

Well, that was a long grind without any games for an entire week, but we’re finally through it and the Oilers will be back in action tonight as they take on the Maple Leafs on Hockey Night in Canada. Let’s get Oily.

1. Back on Monday when I wrote the Game Notes for what should have been the series opener in Montreal, I pointed out that the Oilers were in the middle of probably their most difficult stretch of the season. Over the span of just over two weeks, the team was scheduled to play 10 games, starting with a game in Vancouver that was on the second night of a back-to-back and then finishing up with five-consecutive road games in Montreal and Toronto.

2. From a fan’s perspective, it was a pain in the ass to have all of this week’s games get postponed. Obviously, we all want to watch the Oilers play and it was a pretty boring week without them. But from the team’s perspective, getting a nice, long rest in the middle of this stretch could be a positive. Edmonton has now had a full week off from their last game against the Jets to tonight’s game in Toronto. They should be well-rested and charged up for what will be a huge two-game series with the Leafs.

3. As we all surely remember, the last time the Oilers and the Leafs played each other was a disaster for Edmonton. The Oilers rode into that series in early-March riding high and the narrative surrounding the head-to-head was that Edmonton could challenge Toronto as the top team in the Canada division. Instead, the Leafs steamrolled the Oilers, winning all three games by a combined score of 13-1.

4. To the Oilers’ credit, though, the team didn’t dwell on that result and they’ve rebounded nicely since. They edged out the Flames 3-2 immediately after the Toronto series, which felt like a must-win game, then they swept the Senators in commanding fashion, dropped two, tight, back-to-back losses against Calgary and Vancouver, but again rebounded with a 7-3 spanking of the Flames and a two-game sweep of the Jets. All told, the Oilers are 7-2-0 since getting swept by Toronto.

5. On the other side of that, the Leafs have been grinding through their worst stretch of the season since sweeping the Oilers. After that 6-1 win to cap off the sweep, the Leafs were sitting pretty with an impressive 18-4-2 record and their fans had already punched their team’s ticket to the Conference Finals. But after dropping six of their last nine, things aren’t looking quite so nice in The Centre of The Hockey Universe. That stretch featured a two-game sweep at the hands of the struggling Canucks and a loss to the lowly Senators. The Leafs only have one regulation win since sweeping Edmonton.

6. So, here we are again. The Oilers are within striking distance of the Leafs for the top spot in the Canadian division. If Edmonton sweeps Toronto in this two-game set, they’ll be two points ahead of them in the standings, though the Leafs have one game in hand. This will be Edmonton and Toronto’s final head-to-head meeting in the regular season and the Leafs are winning the season series 5-2. Picking up a couple of wins here would be a game-changer in Edmonton’s pursuit of top spot in the division.

7. What’s going wrong for Toronto right now? Just about everything, it seems. Their main goaltender, Freddy Andersen, has been having a difficult season and it looks as though he’s. headed to the Injured Reserve. Jack Campbell has been very good in relief, as he has a .958 save percentage through five starts. Despite good play from Campbell, though, the Leafs haven’t been able to score goals lately. Their usually high-powered offence has stalled over the past couple of weeks as they’ve scored more than three goals just once in a game since their series with Edmonton at the beginning of the month.

8. Edmonton has themselves as close to full health as we’ve seen in quite some time. While we know Oscar Klefbom and Slater Koekkoek will miss the season, everybody else is healthy and ready to roll. Kailer Yamamoto missed the last few games with an upper-body injury but Dave Tippett says that he’ll be back in the lineup tonight, playing alongside Leon Draisaitl on the team’s second line.

9. It’ll be interesting to see what Ken Holland does with the roster before the trade deadline. It’s just a couple of weeks away and the Oilers could use some upgrades, namely a left-winger for Connor McDavid or Draisaitl and a veteran, left-handed defenceman for a shutdown pair with Adam Larsson. The Oilers don’t have much salary cap room or draft pick capital right now, which makes things difficult. I do wonder if Dylan Holloway, who just finished his NCAA season, can be one of the answers here.