National Hockey League
Toronto 4, Edmonton 3
When: 10:00 PM ET, Thursday, January 28, 2021
Where: Rogers Place, Edmonton, Alberta
Referees: Chris Schlenker, Graham Skilliter
Linesmen: Michel Cormier, Kiel Murchison
Attendance: N/A

Auston Matthews broke a third-period tie with a power-play goal, leading the Toronto Maple Leafs to a 4-3 victory over the host Edmonton Oilers on Thursday.

Matthews ripped a TJ Brodie pass through traffic for the winning goal at 13:37. Edmonton's Ethan Bear was in the penalty box for slashing Matthews.

Jason Spezza, who had a two-point night, William Nylander, Wayne Simmonds each added a goal for Toronto, and Maple Leafs goalie Frederik Andersen made 26 saves. Mitchell Marner logged an assist to extend his point-scoring streak to four games (two goals, five assists).

Leon Draisaitl scored twice for the Oilers, and Zack Kassian had one goal and Connor McDavid added two helpers. Mikko Koskinen stopped 23 shots in the Edmonton net.

Toronto earned its fourth win in a row while Edmonton lost for the third time in four games.

Spezza opened the scoring with a backhand into the net from the short side at 9:29 of the first period, taking a nifty feed from Travis Boyd.

The Maple Leafs went up 2-0 late in the opening period. Just as Spezza was leaving the ice on a change, he stopped a clearing attempt at the blue line and threw the puck back at the net. Nylander was parked beside the crease and took a pass from John Tavares at 18:22.

Discipline got in the Maple Leafs' way in the second period as Toronto was tagged with four consecutive penalties. An Alexander Kerfoot slash and a Zach Hyman trip gave the Oilers a five-on-three power play, and the hosts finally got on the board. Draisaitl made no mistake with a one-timer off a pass from Marner at 18:11.

Draisaitl added another power-play goal in the final period with Kerfoot in the box for his third minor penalty of the night. Draisaitl jumped on a loose puck in front of Andersen and dished it in at 7:00 to tie the game 2-2.

Just 56 seconds later, the Maple Leafs were on their own power play when Marner wired a shot from the top of the faceoff circle and it chipped off Simmonds' stick to fool Koskinen.

The Oilers rallied for yet another tying goal at 11:12. Kassian got his first off the season, banging in a rebound off a Kyle Turris shot from the point.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Toronto   Edmonton
Jason Spezza 2 Points Leon Draisaitl 2
Jason Spezza 1 Goals Leon Draisaitl 2
Jason Spezza 1 Assists Connor McDavid 2
Auston Matthews 1 Power Play Goals Leon Draisaitl 2
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Frederik Andersen .897 Save Percentage Mikko Koskinen .852
Frederik Andersen 26 Saves Mikko Koskinen 23
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Toronto 27 4 2-4 5-7 14 24
Edmonton 29 3 2-7 2-4 8 27
Upcoming Games
  • Edmonton will play their next game at home against Toronto. The Oilers have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .600 after a loss.
  • Toronto will play their next game on the road against Edmonton. The Maple Leafs have a W/L % of .667 after a win and 1.000 after a loss.
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