GAME STORY: Oilers 3, Maple Leafs 1

TORONTO, ON - Leon Draisaitl scored the game-winning goal on the power play midway through the third period as the Oilers edged out the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-1 on Wednesday.

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FIRST BLOOD

Nothing like a greasy goal to get a team out of an offensive funk! After not scoring until the latter stages of the third period in their back-to-back losses to Montreal, the Oilers got on the board first in Toronto at 10:42 of the opening frame when Dominik Kahun and Kailer Yamamoto got in behind the Leafs net on the forecheck. Yamamoto got control of the puck and tried to pass it out front to Draisaitl, but Jimmy Vesey's clearing attempt went off Jake Muzzin's skate and past Frederik Andersen to make it 1-0, with the right-winger getting credit for his second goal of the season.

PLAY OF THE GAME

Speaking of funks, after recording 14 consecutive unsuccessful power-play chances, the Oilers man-advantage unit finally converted at 9:12 of the third period, two and a half minutes after Toronto tied the game at 1-1. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Connor McDavid executed a give-and-go with Nugent-Hopkins getting the puck back for a one-timer in the slot that hit Jesse Puljujarvi's leg in front and Draisaitl drilled home the loose puck from a sharp angle to put Edmonton back up by one.

SAVE OF THE GAME

The Leafs player you'd least likely want to give an open shot on the power play is almost certainly Auston Matthews, but that's exactly what happened with 35 seconds left in Toronto's man advantage late in the second period on a scramble in front of the Oilers net. However, Koskinen was up to the task as he pushed out a bit to cut down the angle and snagged Matthews' shot with his glove to keep the score 1-0 through 40 minutes for the best of his 25 saves in the win.

TURNING POINT

Less than a minute after Matthews tied the game at 1-1, Kahun drew a tripping penalty on Muzzin in the Oilers zone, setting up the power play that led to Draisaitl's game-winning goal.

TOP PERFORMER

Draisaitl delivered the clutch game-winner for his first goal and sixth point of the season after he put up five assists in Edmonton's first two games before getting held off the scoresheet in their last two. The defending league MVP is once again among the scoring leaders in the early stages of the season as he looks to win back-to-back Art Ross Trophy honours.

NEXT UP

The Oilers and Leafs will conclude their two-game series in Toronto on Friday once again at 5pm MT before Edmonton heads back west for games in Winnipeg on Sunday and Tuesday.

PARTING WORDS

"Sometimes the boring games are the most solid," Draisaitl said of the matchup that only featured 48 total shots and just 11 in the first period. "I thought we were very solid for 60 minutes, all four lines, defencemen, and the goalie was huge for us. That's a huge win and more the way that we want to play."
"The boys were blocking shots everywhere, it was really good to see," Yamamoto said of his team that recorded 19 shot blocks to just six by Toronto. "The defence were laying their bodies on the line. If we do that every night, we can be a really good team."
"You get that one big goal at the right time and it gives everybody a boost," Head Coach Dave Tippett said of Draisaitl's eventual game-winning PPG just after Matthews' equalizer.