After wrapping up their home stand with a big win over Detroit, the Edmonton Oilers are back on the road for the next five games, with their first stop happening in Toronto for a matchup against the Leafs. And while Saturday’s matchup was listed as a battle of the stars with McDavid and Draisaitl squaring off against Auston Matthews and William Nylander, it was Edmonton’s dynamic duo that completely ran the show. Final score: 6-3 Oilers

I think it goes without saying that the reaction to Friday’s Stuart Skinner (and Brett Kulak) for Tristan Jarry trade was pretty split. Some people were fired up that Skinner was finally shipped out of town, while others were nervous that the Oilers made a lateral move for a goalie who is only marginally better. But with the Oilers squaring off against the Leafs and Jarry scheduled to start, there wasn’t much time to argue about who did what or how Edmonton could have handled the situation better. Just 30 hours after the news broke, Jarry was manning the crease for the Oilers in his first start with his new team. A start that, to me, featured a whole lot more good than bad, especially when you consider the tight turnaround.

You’d have to think Jarry was at least a little nervous heading into his first start with a new team, and I thought he delivered a solid performance. If we ignore the .893 save percentage for a minute — I’m not ragging on the guy in his first game as an Oiler — I thought Jarry made some massive saves on a few different occasions that either kept the game close or kept it tied. I’m thinking of the breakaway stop, the saves on the Toronto power play in the second period when the game was knotted up, and a handful of calm glove saves that had me starting to understand what Stan Bowman must see in him. Of course, no one is going to write home about a game that ends below .900 — he stopped 25 of 28 shots — but I do hope Oilers fans give the guy a chance to settle in before making a judgement. Jarry is going to be our guy for the next 2.5 years, and as much as we need wins right now, we also need to give him a minute to get used to his new surroundings. Either way, we’re undefeated in the Jarry era.

He may have only played 16:22, but Spencer Stastney did enough in his Oilers debut to have me feeling intrigued. Yes, he finished with a minus-one on the night and had four giveaways beside his name, but I also saw a guy with some wheels that I did not expect. Like everyone else, I’d read about how well Stastney skates, but seeing him fly around, get four shots on goal, and not shy away from contact to make a play made for a pretty solid first impression. I’m not saying he had a great night, as the fancies had him getting stepped on quite a bit, but you can tell there’s something there. I also thought you could see that he and Ty Emberson had played together for three years, as that duo had a reasonably quiet night for their first game together, which is exactly what you hope for from a third pairing.

Considering this was only Stastney’s 82nd NHL game, it’s going to take some time to figure out what he can be at the NHL level. He played parts of three seasons in Nashville before finally making the leap to full-time NHL duty this year, and without even seeing a minute of his play before Saturday’s game in Toronto, I can already tell it’s going to be a ride filled with ups, downs, and everything in between. Learning to play defence at the NHL level is a tough ask, but I also think he showed some of the skills against the Leafs that made him a trade target in the first place. Again, I’m not saying the guy was lights out or anything like that, but I am giving him credit for showing reasonably well in his first game with a new team he hadn’t even practiced with. Of course, it will be interesting to see how much patience people have after being so used to Brett Kulak’s steady play for so many years.

When you think about how the Oilers beat the Leafs, one of the easiest ways to think about it is that Edmonton’s big guns were significantly better than Toronto’s. While Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl combined for six points, Auston Matthews and William Nylander combined for two whole shots. It wasn’t even close. Comparing the two pairs would be like comparing a Ferrari to a 1987 Ford Escort GT. Both are vehicles, but they’re clearly not the same thing. And of the four players mentioned, none was better than Connor McDavid. Our captain shone bright in front of the Leafs fans who so desperately wish he were theirs, and that makes his two-goal, three-point night all the more delicious.

Not only did the best player on earth make the home side look foolish on more than one occasion, but he did it with the whole country watching. Connor McDavid was so good on Saturday night that he basically emptied the building by himself and drew boo birds from the fans that stuck around. Chef’s kiss, my friends. An evening of magic, and all in only 19:42 of TOI. With the three points he threw on the pile in Toronto, our captain has produced an incredible 21 points (9G, 12A) in his last 11 games. It’s the kind of heater that single-handedly wins hockey games, and he’s playing at a level so beyond everyone else that there’s almost nothing you can do to stop him. At this point, it stops being about systems or matchups and just becomes a reminder of what this team can be when Connor McDavid decides a game is over. When No. 97 is going supernova, the night feels inevitable, and all that’s left for the other side is to watch the wreckage happen.

We’re heading back to Las Vegas for the next Nation Vacation, March 24–27, and you’re invited to join the ultimate hockey fan getaway. Trip packages start at $2,400, with the option to secure your spot for just 20% down. Enjoy roundtrip flights, a premium three-night stay at Circa Resort & Casino, access to Stadium Swim, exclusive watch parties, a Nation Citizens pool party, a party bus to T-Mobile Arena, and food and drinks included at the Edmonton vs. Vegas game. Multiple travel options mean you can book the trip your way—so lock in your spot now at nationgear.ca and come be part of the chaos in Vegas!