by Holger Neumann, Thursday March 2, 2023, reading time: approx. 2 minutes
Leon Draisaitl also scores for the tenth time in a row in the premiere of Mathias Ekholm, who has just signed from Nashville.
Things are getting tight in the Western Conference: There are just five (Central) and six points (Pacific) between the last play-off spot and the top spots in the two divisions. In this respect, every single win is important in the final phase. The Edmonton OIlers, who swapped Tyson Barrie for the last quarter of the main round with Swedish defender Mathias Ekholm, have apparently internalized this and clearly and confidently won their home game against the Toronto Maple Leafs 5:2.
Connor McDavid scored twice again: after four minutes he stole the ball after a shot deflected by Leon Draisaitl to give the guests an early 1-0 lead, then just a minute and a half after the guests equalized he ignited the turbo and overcame Ilja Samsonov with a seamless low shot from the left-hand position. He now has 115 points from 61 games. This corresponds to an average of 1.88 points per game.
Zach Hyman, ex-Leafs player and native of Toronto, made it 3-1 in the first period. The preliminary work was done by Connor McDavid and defender Mathias Ekholm, who put in a decent performance on his debut in the OIlers jersey: he had two shots on goal, distributed three hits, blocked two shots and went out with a value of +2.
In the middle third, the hosts increased to 5:1 before Mitch Marner was able to shorten the lead again in the final section. The Oilers cemented their third-place finish in the Pacific Division, just four points behind the leaders Vegas Golden Knights (78) and two behind the second-placed Los Angeles Kings (76).
The Vegas Golden Knights have added defensive forward Teddy Blueger from the Pittsburgh Penguins. In exchange for the Latvian, a minor league defender and a draft pick will move to Pennsylvania. The Los Angeles Kings surprisingly handed over their goalkeeper Jonathan Quick, who has spent his 16 NHL seasons exclusively in the City of Angels and won two cups with the Kings, to the Columbus Blue Jackets. In return, goalkeeper Joonas Korpisalo and defender Vladislav Gavrikov will move to California. The Arizona Coyotes, meanwhile, traded defense attorneys Shayne Gostisbehere to Carolina and Jakob Chychrun to the Ottawa Senators. They received some draft picks in exchange to further their rebuild.
The other results of last night at a glance:
Philadelphia Flyers – New York Rangers 2:3 (OT)
Dallas Stars – Arizona Coyotes 4;2
Colorado Avalanche – New Jersey Devils 5:7
Vegas Golden Knights –Â Carolina Hurricanes 3:2
Anaheim Ducks – Washington Capitals 2:3 (OT)