Maple Leafs defeat Oilers on fluke goal

EDMONTON -- Patrick Marleau was credited with the winning goal on a fluke play late in the third period, and the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Edmonton Oilers 6-4 at Rogers Place on Thursday.
The Maple Leafs took a 5-4 lead when Oilers defenseman Kris Russell shot the puck into his own net with 1:05 remaining.

WATCH: [All Maple Leafs vs. Oilers highlights]
"It was a bounce, I turned to try and battle it out and obviously you know what happened," Russell said. "I thought we came back and played well, but I'm pretty frustrated with the way it ended. I don't know what you want me to say. You know what happened at the end."
Nazem Kadri scored into an empty net with one second left to make it 6-4.
Auston Matthews, Dominic Moore, Matt Martin and William Nylander scored for Toronto (17-9-1), which won for the third time in four games. Frederik Andersen made 41 saves.
Mark Letestu, Zack Kassian, Connor McDavid and Russell scored for Edmonton (10-14-2), which lost for the first time in three games. Laurent Brossoit made 30 saves.

Nylander and Jake Gardiner each had two assists for Toronto, and Letestu, Jujhar Khaira and Darnell Nurse each had two for Edmonton.
"I couldn't imagine, I'm feeling for [Russell] right now," Kadri said. "Like I said, they did a great job, they earned themselves at least a point in that one and came up a little bit short. Tough bounce, but that's the way it's going for us right now. We continued that."
Matthews scored a power-play goal on Toronto's first shot of the game for a 1-0 lead at 2:15 of the first period.
Moore made it 2-0 at 5:55 when he collected Oilers defenseman Eric Gryba's errant clearing attempt at center ice, skated into the Edmonton zone and beat Brossoit to the short side.
Brossoit kept the Maple Leafs from taking a three-goal lead when he made an outstanding right-pad save on Marleau off a pass from Tyler Bozak on a 2-on-0 at 10:09.
Letestu scored at 12:37 to get the Oilers to within 2-1, but Martin put the Maple Leafs back in front by two goals when he scored at 13:06 to make it 3-1.
"I think that's the kind of start you need against a team like this, because they can skate and they've got a lot of skill," Matthews said. "When you put them back on their heels and have them playing D zone, that's what you want."

Kassian made it 3-2 at 6:38 of the second period, and McDavid tied it 3-3 at 17:32 when he redirected a pass from Russell past Andersen.
"I thought we played a [heck] of a game once we got our wits about us," Edmonton coach Todd McLellan said. "We were turning pucks over, and it took a little regrouping between the first and the second. We didn't give up much after that, but we gave up a lot early, and that's something we have to shore up."
Nylander gave Toronto a 4-3 lead with a power-play goal at 18:29.
The Maple Leafs were 2-for-2 with the man-advantage. The Oilers were 0-for-2.
Russell tied it 4-4 at 3:01 of the third period with a one-timer from the blue line.
On the winning goal, Russell was attempting to play the puck behind the Edmonton net from the bottom of the right face-off circle after Brossoit made a save against Marleau, but he inadvertently shot it in with Kadri pressuring him.
"It was obviously an unfortunate way to end it," McDavid said. "I think everyone would have wanted overtime, it would have been entertaining. It's just the way it goes. I think we can feel good about how we battled, and no one can say we didn't put our best foot forward."

Goal of the game

Martin's goal at 13:06 of the first period.

#

Save of the game

Andersen stopping Anton Slepyshev at 16:16 of the second period.

Highlight of the game

McDavid's goal at 17:32 of the second period.

They said it

"I thought the game was probably exciting for the fans, but it wasn't very exciting for me. But in the end, we found a way to win a game and that's what you've got to do on the road." -- Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock
"He's a guy you would go to war for. He does everything for us. He throws himself in shooting lanes where most guys would be diving to get out of the way. He puts himself in harm's way. He battles so hard each and every night. He was great tonight, solid." -- Oilers captain Connor McDavid on defenseman Kris Russell, who scored into his own net with 1:05 left in the third period

Need to know

Oilers defenseman Adam Larsson was a late scratch with an undisclosed injury. McLellan said he will be re-evaluated Friday … Nylander has a goal and five assists during a four-game point streak.

What's next

Maple Leafs: At the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; CBC, CITY, NHL.TV)
Oilers: At the Calgary Flames on Saturday (10 p.m. ET; CBC, SN, NHL.TV)