PRE-GAME REPORT: Oilers vs. Maple Leafs

The Edmonton Oilers look to make it four straight victories & continue their hot start to the season on Saturday with a visit from the Toronto Maple Leafs to Rogers Place.

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PRE-GAME REPORT: Oilers vs. Maple Leafs

EDMONTON, AB – Leaves fall in October, but this isn’t what we’d expected.

After the excitement died down from one of the Edmonton Oilers’ biggest wins of the Mike Babcock era on Thursday against the reigning Stanley Cup champions, the reality of a pair of new injuries added to their never-ending list of ailments in Devon Levi and Mattias Ekholm quickly set in before Saturday’s visit from the Toronto Maple Leafs to Rogers Place.

Despite finishing with 22 saves in a crazy 6-5 win over the Carolina Hurricanes, the Oilers will be without Levi on Saturday against Toronto after the 24-year-old missed Friday’s morning skate before being placed on Injured Reserve later in the evening.

The Oilers recalled goalie Matt Tomkins from the Bakersfield Condors under emergency conditions in a corresponding move. Tristan Jarry was already scheduled to start Saturday against the Maple Leafs before the news that Levi would miss time.

Jarry made his Oilers debut against the Maple Leafs in Toronto last season, posting 25 saves on 28 shots in a 5-3 win on Dec. 13, and he expects a lot of visiting fans in Rogers Place on another well-attended road trip for the Buds, who’ve won four straight games.

“It's always fun to play the Maple Leafs,” Jarry said. “No matter what team you're on, they travel well. They always have a strong following, so it's always a fun game. My first game after being traded, and it was a whirlwind of a day, I guess you could say, but it was fun. I wouldn't change it for the world.”

Edmonton will also be down one of their most impactful defencemen in Mattias Ekholm, who was forced out against Carolina with an upper-body injury after his head came in contact with the ice from a clean hit from Hurricanes forward William Carrier early in the third period of Thursday's win.

Luckily for the Oilers, Ekholm was in the high-five line at the end of the game and appears to be doing well, according to his teammates, but they’ll likely be without their Swedish defenceman for a few games.

“I didn't really see it. I still haven't really seen it,” Connor McDavid said about the play. “I don't like to watch that. I don't like to see that stuff, obviously, with someone that we care about so much, but he's doing great. He looks great, feels great, so that's really positive.  But you never like to see that.”

Shakir Mukhamadullin is poised to return to the lineup in Ekholm’s place against the Maple Leafs after filling his position on the top defensive pairing with Evan Bouchard, though it remains to be seen where the Russian blueliner will start Saturday’s contest after the coaching staff makes its final decision on the lineup.

Babcock said that Mukhamadullin didn’t deserve to be the odd man out over Edmonton’s last three wins, where he was a healthy scratch after last week’s 4-2 loss to the Utah Mammoth, and that it was a tough choice to make with Jake Walman returning from injury.

“He should have never come out of the lineup. He played great. He made one mistake on a box out, and we pulled him out,” Babcock said. “That was one clip. He wasn't in three games, but he's played great for us. We like him.”

“There was a spot there [next to Bouchard] in practice, and we hadn't spent enough time thinking about what we're doing for tomorrow. That's how much went into it. So by the time tomorrow comes, we'll have a better idea. Today we spent our time going through last night's game, fixing the details, deciding what we should talk to individuals about, and trying to get better today.”