Matthews' two goals help Maple Leafs hand Oilers sixth loss in row

Auston Matthews scored two goals and the Toronto Maple Leafs handed the Edmonton Oilers their sixth straight loss, 5-1 at Rogers Place in Edmonton on Tuesday.

Mikko Koskinen made 20 saves for the Oilers (16-11-0), who have been outscored 24-9 during the skid. Coach Dave Tippett was not behind the bench for precautionary reasons, and it was confirmed after the game he tested positive and was placed in NHL COVID-19 protocol. Forward Ryan McLeod entered COVID-19 protocol earlier in the day. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl were each held without a point for the second straight game and fourth time this season.
"We're not going to quit, we have to keep battling every night," forward Warren Foegele said. "We have to keep playing simple and keep pounding on that rock, that rock's going to chip. It didn't happen tonight, but we have to keep going."
Morgan Rielly had a goal and an assist, Ondrej Kase had two assists, and Jack Campbell made 35 saves for Toronto (20-8-2). Ten players for the Maple Leafs scored at least one point.
"I think it was a pretty solid game other than maybe the second period. I thought for the first 10 minutes there, they really took control of the game," Matthews said. "I think we were just a little bit back on our heels, but [Campbell] made some unbelievable saves, not only in that period, but the whole game and we just weathered the storm, and we were able to give ourselves a bit of a cushion in the third."

Matthews scored on the power play at 19:25 of the first period to give the Maple Leafs a 1-0 lead. He took a pass from John Tavares on a scramble in front of the net for his 19th goal of the season.
Wayne Simmonds made it 2-0 at 8:47 of the second period. He kicked the puck up to his stick in front and swept it in past Koskinen.
Edmonton has trailed 2-0 in five straight games.
"I think we started really well. We had a game plan to be aggressive and go straight ahead and I thought we did that for the most part in the first period and it led to some really good chances for us," Oilers associate coach Jim Playfair said.
"I thought we continued that mindset in the second, but coming out of the first with a goal being scored against us … that puts you behind the eight ball and now you're chasing a little bit and we've done that, as we all know, too often lately."
TJ Brodie scored at 14:54 for a 3-0 lead. His point shot deflected in off McDavid's stick.
Colton Sceviour scored his first with Edmonton at 5:26 of the third period, sweeping in a shot from the left side of the net to make it 3-1. It was his first goal in 32 games; the last coming April 11, 2021, when he was with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
"I thought our guys did a really good job of capitalizing on our chances, making good on them and I thought we played a really disciplined game defensively," Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said. "At times, we defended more than we would like, but I thought we did a good job of doing the things we were looking to do before the game, which was to limit the space and speed of their best people."
Rielly converted a centering pass by William Nylander from behind the net at 6:33 to make it 4-1, and Matthews scored on a shot from the slot at 16:40 for the 5-1 final.
Edmonton outshot Toronto 24-13 in the final two periods.
"I think the most frustrating part of the whole thing is that if you look at the last three or four games, we played in stretches better than the teams we were playing against," Sceviour said. "Then when we gave up opportunities, we gave up Grade A-pluses and I think that's probably the thing we need to get over the most. Some of those chances we're giving up, you can't afford to give them up against good players in the NHL, because they're going to end up in the back of your net."

Matthews became the second Toronto player to start his career with 20 or more goals in each of his first six seasons. Dave Keon, a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, scored 20 or more from 1960-66.
"I've never played on a team with a guy who can score goals like this," Simmonds said of Matthews "It's a first. It's unbelievable to watch. I think the best part about it is that he does it in so many different ways."
Notes:Oilers defenseman Duncan Keith had five shots on goal in 23:34 of ice time after missing eight games with an upper-body injury. … Zach Hyman sustained an undisclosed injury late in the third period in the 3-1 loss against the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday and did not play in the first game against his former team. The forward scored 185 points (86 goals, 99 assists) in 345 games with Toronto. … Maple Leafs forward Ilya Mikheyev made his season debut after undergoing surgery to repair a broken thumb in October. He blocked one shot and had two takeaways in 15:13. … Toronto defenseman Travis Dermott had three hits in 16:33 after missing four games with an upper-body injury. … Brett Seney made his Maple Leafs debut and had one shot on goal and played 7:10. The forward signed a one-year contract July 29 and played his first NHL game since Nov. 26, 2019, with the New Jersey Devils.