The Toronto Maple Leafs had not won four games in a row since January. On Saturday night in Edmonton, they did it in style, routing the Oilers 7-2 behind a two goal night from William Nylander, who reached 300 career NHL goals, and scoring from six different players in a performance that looked like a team finding its identity.
Nylander scored two of Toronto’s four third period goals, turning a contest into a rout after the second intermission. Jack Roslovic added a goal and an assist, while Auston Matthews, Troy Stecher, Zack MacEwen and Vinni Lettieri also scored, and Kirill Marchenko recorded two assists. Anthony Stolarz stopped 30 shots for his fourth victory of the season.
Depth, not just stars
The significance of the win is in its distribution. Toronto did not rely on one line or one scorer. Six players found the net, and the goals kept coming in the third period, when games are usually tightened rather than broken open. That depth is what separates a good team on a good night from a team building a streak.
Edmonton, which had won three in a row, fell to 8-2-1 despite two goals from Leon Draisaitl, the NHL’s leading goal scorer with 12, and two assists from Connor McDavid, who extended his points streak to 11 games and now has 33 points in 11 games. Tristan Jarry made 25 saves in the loss, but the Oilers could not match Toronto’s spread of scoring.
What the streak means
As NBC Sports reported, the win improved Toronto to 7-4-2 and gave the Leafs their first four game winning streak since January. Streaks in October do not win championships, but they do change a dressing room, because they prove a team can win in different ways on different nights.
Toronto now travels to Calgary for a Monday night game, a test of whether the streak can survive the road and a new opponent. A four game run built on depth scoring is a promising sign for a team that has often leaned too heavily on its stars. Saturday in Edmonton suggested the Leafs may finally have the balance to go with the talent.
