After getting shut right the F down on Saturday’s early Hockey Night in Canada feature, the Edmonton Oilers will look to rebound and give it right back to the Toronto Maple Leafs this evening in game 24.
Marner has never finished top-10 in scoring, but if he wins Art Ross it wouldn't be a surprise… pic.twitter.com/mW58PwcP7C
— Jason Gregor (@JasonGregor) January 21, 2021
Should they be in the lineup, here are three players that I think you should keep an eye on for the Maple Leafs tonight,
- #88 William Nylander – Has scored Toronto’s last three goals and is criminally underrated by the Maple Leafs fanbase. He kinda reminds me a bit of Alex Kovalev in that he drives coaches and fans nuts because he doesn’t always show off the defensive aspect of his game and isn’t much of a grinder.
- #16 Mitch Marner – Hey, remember when Jason Gregor laughed off Mitch Marner winning an Art Ross (refer to tweet above) because he’s never finished in the top-10 in scoring… He is 4th in scoring right now and might be Toronto’s best player. He made Darnell Nurse look awfully silly last time out and there are whispers that Auston Matthews may miss further time with a wrist injury. If that stays true, the Leafs will need him to continue his current form.
- #3 Justin Holl – Has transformed into a Holl of a player… Hehe, I had to. Sorry. I’ve been impressed with his calm defensive play this year and from my eye, he was fantastic on Saturday night.
For Toronto to have success I think they’ll need take advantage of the fact that some of Edmonton’s big guns are dealing with some health problems. They’ll need to play another sound defensive game and keep the Oilers from getting any grade A scoring chances. Especially if Jack Campbell or Frederik Andersen are unable to go.
Their PP has been quite shite lately and Edmonton’s PK isn’t as good as it has been in the past. Sheldon Keefe’s men should take advantage of any opportunity they can get to kill what little momentum the Oilers build just like they did in the first period over the weekend.
Whatever they did to shut Connor McDavid down like that, they’d best have that secret locked away in a vault only to be taken out each time Toronto plays Edmonton.
With regards to Edmonton, I’ll be watching these three individuals closely,
- #19 Mikko Koskinen – I’m assuming he’ll be in net since Smith had a tough one on Hockey Night in Canada a couple of days ago. Edmonton just needs him to give them a puncher’s chance. He doesn’t have to be spectacular, just consistently solid because Toronto’s going to bring it.
- #29 Leon Draisaitl – The cat’s out of the bag for the most part. Draisaitl’s dealing with an upper body problem that is limiting his shot. Kurt Leavins suggested a shoulder problem on the latest Cult of Hockey Podcast. How will he perform against the likes of Jake Muzzin, Zach Bogosian, and Justin Holl?
- #15 Josh Archibald – TEN HITS last game vs. Toronto! If he keeps that up he’ll be getting a promotion and maybe he’s earned it? Kailer Yamamoto hasn’t done a lot recently and might be best served with a little break down the lineup…
Keys to Success For the Oilers
They’ve got to find a way to draw more penalties… Saturday night was the first time all year that they failed to do so. It’ll give McDavid and Leon more puck time and that’s never a bad thing.
Connor and Darnell Nurse were dash three against the Maple Leafs on the weekend that’s been as common as a Joakim Nygard sighting this year. That’ll have to be addressed.
Edmonton cannot allow Toronto too much time with the puck on their sticks. They must be much more proactive than reactive tonight and not give the skilled passers in the Leafs top-six any time to set things up.
If Toronto can’t dress Jack Campbell or Frederik Andersen they’ll be forced to use Michael Hutchinson and if that’s the case the Oilers have to stomp on that gas pedal and not let off. The defensive game plan backfired in game 23, maybe it’s time to fight fire with fire.
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