McDavid has two goals, three assists to power Oilers past Maple Leafs

EDMONTON - Connor McDavid had two goals and three assists as the Edmonton Oilers came away with a 5-2 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday in a battle between the NHL's two lowest-ranked teams.

Jordan Eberle scored three goals and added an assist for the Oilers (22-29-5), who snapped a three-game losing streak.

Josh Leivo and Jake Gardiner replied for the Maple Leafs (19-25-9), who have lost three in a row.

Edmonton scored on the first shot of the game 3:29 into the first period as Benoit Pouliot sent in McDavid on a breakaway and he deked around Toronto goalie Jonathan Bernier to deposit his eighth goal of the season.

Toronto responded eight minutes into the first as Leivo picked the top corner to beat Oilers starter Cam Talbot. Leivo left the game later in the period with an upper-body injury.

Edmonton restored its lead six-and-a-half minutes into the middle frame as Eberle picked up a bouncing puck in front of the net and sent home his 16th of the year.

The Oilers made it 3-1 late in the second on a power play as McDavid spotted Eberle all alone at the side of the net and he potted his second of the game.

Toronto got one back with 15 seconds left in the middle frame as a Gardiner shot appeared to carom off a pair of Oilers before ending up behind Talbot.

McDavid salted the game away with six minutes left, scoring his second of the contest on a shot from the slot.

Eberle added an empty-net goal for his first career NHL hat trick. Pouliot notched his fourth assist of the game on the goal.

Both teams return to action on Saturday as the Oilers play host to the Winnipeg Jets and the Leafs travel to Vancouver to face the Canucks.

Notes: Of the players acquired Tuesday in the nine-player trade that sent captain Dion Phaneuf to the Ottawa Senators, only forward Colin Greening was in the Leafs lineup. Milan Michalek (broken finger) and Jared Cowen (hips) did not dress. Also out injured for Toronto are Nazem Kadri, (lower body), James van Riemsdyk (foot), Stephane Robidas (lower body), Tyler Bozak (upper body), Joffrey Lupul (middle body) and Shawn Matthias (whiplash)… Out for the Oilers were Oscar Klefbom (lower body), Andrew Ference (hip) and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (hand).