20230311_SocialGameGraphics_2568x1444_GameDay-Recovered-Recovered-Recovered-Recovered-Recovered

The Edmonton Oilers close out their four-game road trip at Scotiabank Arena against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Hockey Night in Canada.
You can watch the game on HNIC and Sportsnet or listen live on the Oilers Radio Network, including 630 CHED.
Subscribe to Oilers+ to unlock the Pre-Game Show that will begin at 4:25 p.m. MT, along with more exclusive live and behind-the-scenes content.

YOUR GAME-DAY ESSENTIALS

GettyImages-1472433312

INSIDE THE OILERS

News and notes from Oilers practice at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on Friday.
>> READ MORE IN THE INSIDE THE OILERS BLOG

PRE-GAME REPORT

TORONTO, ON - Check the hype and expectations at the doors of the Edmonton Oilers dressing room, because there's a game to be won.
With the spotlight firmly focused on Scotiabank Arena for a high-profile clash between the Oilers and Toronto Maple Leafs, claiming two points is the only objective of the Blue & Orange, who can conclude a four-game road trip with three victories if they're able to get the win on Saturday night.
"It's just two points on the table. You try to keep it that way," Nurse, a Hamilton native, said pre-game. "Just worry about getting two points for our team. Obviously, you get to have a little more family and friends in the building, but when it comes down to the game, it's the same 60 minutes that you play every night."
The Oilers boast eight players on their roster from Ontario and a handful of Toronto-and-area products like Nurse, Zach Hyman, Ryan McLeod and of course, Connor McDavid.
Hyman, Cody Ceci and Jack Campbell all spent time in their careers in Toronto with the Maple Leafs, so there'll be plenty of personal connections for the players to the team, the arena, the fans and family and friends in the stands tonight to add to the spectacle of tonight's tilt.
However, the buzz of the battle between the Oil and the Buds isn't penetrating the walls of the Oilers locker room, where there's a business-like attitude from the Boys in Blue & Orange toward adding two points to their tally in a tight Pacific Division and Western Conference playoff race.

PRE-RAW | Jay Woodcroft 03.11.23

"I understand those narratives of Connor coming and playing close to his hometown with so many other Toronto area-born players in our organization. I get all those narratives," Woodcroft said this morning when asked about the noise being generated ahead of the matchup on Hockey Night in Canada. "I can tell you that's on the outside, but on the inside, we are 100 percent committed to doing what it takes to find two points tonight. That is the business that we're in right now.
"We're in a tight race. I think there are four teams in the Pacific Division all above 80 points and it seems like everybody wins on a nightly basis. So, our focus is not on the buzz. It's not on the city that we're playing in.
"It's on making sure that we're doing what needs to be done in order to be happy when we walk into this building tonight."
The Oilers cruised to a 5-2 victory in their last meeting in late February at Rogers Place, but will be in tough tonight in Toronto's barn to escape with a result when you look at the strengths of the Maple Leafs.
"Yeah, obviously a very good team," Nurse said. "High up in the standings for a reason, and offensively, they give an inch and they're going to be able to put in the back of your net. I think we took that away from the last game we play against them. Also, they compete to play hard."
The Leafs have been led by Mitch Marner this season with 23 goals and 79 points in 64 games after he posted a goal and assist in their 4-3 win over the New Jersey Devils last time out. Auston Matthews, John Tavares and William Nylander round out a potent foursome for forwards who each have the ability to take over a game, while the bottom six can be a frustrating bunch to handle.
"They go the blue paint and they get credit a lot for their skill, but they play a gritty game down there too," Nurse said.

PRE-RAW | Darnell Nurse 03.11.23

With plenty of injuries but a number of blueliners available to them, the Maple Leafs are projected to run 11 forwards and seven defencemen like Woodcroft and Dave Manson have for the majority of their games in charge of the Oilers bench.
Last time out on Thursday in a come-from-behind 3-2 win in Boston, however, Edmonton went for the traditional 12-and-6 deployment.
"It goes to time and space and trying to take away as much as possible. Obviously, they're going to work to get their chances. Whenever you play a team with highly-skilled players like that, it's obviously special. It takes everyone on the ice to be able to defend the right way, so it's been a focus of ours over the course of the last stretch especially and it's going to be important."
TORONTO TIES
Before Toronto faced Edmonton late last month at Rogers Place in a meeting that ended in favour of the Oilers, Nurse linked up with former Soo Greyhounds teammate Matt Murray for dinner at his residence.
"A couple of steaks," he said. "Yeah, I was a chef. We ran out of propane midway through, so I had to adjust but adjusted well."
The gesture wasn't reciprocated this time in Toronto, though.
"I didn't get a text message this time, so it must be because he's playing tonight," Nurse said with a smile. "Obviously some great memories with him. Since Junior, we've had a strong friendship ever since, so I always look forward to playing him."
Murray will get his second start for the Maple Leafs tonight after a 4-1 loss to the Vancouver Canucks last Saturday ended a 17-game stint form on the sidelines due to injury.

PRE-RAW | Jack Campbell 03.11.23

Maple Leafs General Manager Kyle Dubas was also part of the Greyhounds organization back in 2011-12 when Murray and Nurse played together in the OHL, along with netminder Jack Campbell, who returns tonight to Scotiabank Arena for the first time as an Oiler after spending three seasons with Toronto and recording 48 wins in 71 games including a 31-9-6 record in 2021-22.
"It's exciting. I have a lot of great friends here and the city really embraced me during my time here," Campbell said. "A lot of great memories and things I'll cherish my whole life. Obviously a big game tonight for the fellas, so it's an exciting day for us to get to go out and play a really top-loaded, top-tiered team and it's nice to be back."
Leafs forward Mitch Marner said pre-game they expect Jack to receive a raucous welcome back to Scotiabank Arena from the Toronto fans.
"Yeah, I definitely appreciate all the love they've given me my career here and can't really imagine what it's going to be like, to be honest, until the moment happens," Campbell said. "I love all the fans here. I love my teammates and the city."
-- Jamie Umbach, EdmontonOilers.com

PREVIEW

OILERS at MAPLE LEAFS
WATCH: 7:00 p.m. MT; televised on Sportsnet & Hockey Night in Canada.
Oilers Team Scope
The Edmonton Oilers defeated the Boston Bruins 3-2 in comeback fashion on Thursday to end the league leaders' 10-game win streak and give themselves back-to-back wins heading into Saturday's meeting with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Oilers wrap up a four-game road trip and a tough seven-game stint against playoff-contending teams on Saturday against the Maple Leafs with the chance to finish 5-2-0 on the stretch.
"It says when we play the right way and we do the right things, we can play with anybody," Head Coach Jay Woodcroft said. "Obviously being down two after one is not ideal. It's not a recipe to win against anyone, let alone a team like that. We stuck with it and I thought it was a great team win.
Goaltender Stuart Skinner settled in to make 26 saves on 28 shots after allowing two first-period goalst, while the Oilers depth rose over the final 40 minutes to contribute goals from Evan Bouchard, Ryan McLeod and Darnell Nurse, who scored the game-winner inside the final five minutes.
"That's how you win when it matters most," McDavid said. "It takes everybody and I thought we got contributions up and down the lineup, and Stu stood tall."
"How many guys in our bottom six have ten goals? Just about all of them," forward Derek Ryan added. "I don't know how many teams in the league can say that. Depth scoring has always been a conversation here, but I don't think it's a problem. Scoring goals is not a problem for our club, and I think it's checking and defending. That's how we're going to win."

RAW | Connor McDavid 03.10.23

Maple Leafs Team Scope
The Toronto Maple Leafs host the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday night riding a three-game home winning streak, having beaten the Chicago Blackhawks, Montreal Canadiens and Minnesota Wild at Scotiabank Arena in mid-to-late February.
On the road in New Jersey on Tuesday, Toronto rallied late in the third period with goals from Auston Matthews and Michael Bunting 1:57 apart to beat the Washington Capitals 4-3 and improve to 39-17-8 overall and 16-3-7 in one-goal games.
"This was about perseverance and never giving up," Matthews said. "Even when they got the lead later in the third, we just battled and stayed with it. We got some big saves by [Samsonov], and I thought our defense made some big plays, especially at the end on the 6-on-5.
"It was one of those games you just kind of have to grind out, and that's what we did."

RAW | Jay Woodcroft 03.10.23

By The Numbers
The Maple Leafs lost their only meeting against the Oilers this season (5-2 on Mar. 1), but were 8-0-2 in their previous 10 (dating back to January 22, 2021)... The Maple Leafs are one of the best home teams in the NHL this season, posting a 23-6-4 record (they are 16-11-4 on the road)... This is the 16th head-to-head meeting between 2015 first-overall pick Connor McDavid and 2016 first-overall pick Auston Matthews.... Matthews has the better record (10-3-2), while McDavid has recorded more points (7G, 15A)...
McDavid has an NHL-high and career-high 124 points this season... He needs just five more points to set the salary cap era record... Leon Draisaitl needs three points to reach 100 on the season... This will be his fourth season with 100+ points... Draisaitl needs five goals to reach 300 for his career (McDavid needs seven goals to reach 300)... Only four players in franchise history have recorded 300+ goals (his next goal will match Ryan Smyth for fifth most in franchise history)...
Draisaitl has a point in 13 of his last 14 games (12G, 9A)... His 21 points since Feb. 11 are the third most in the NHL (his 12 goals are also third most over that span)... Mattias Ekholm ranks fourth on the team in time on ice per game at 20:38 since making his debut with the Oilers, ... Zach Hyman, the former Maple Leaf, has more points through two seasons with the Oilers than he did in his final three seasons as a Maple Leaf (had 57 goals and 111 points in 165 GP from 2018-19 to 2020-21)...

RAW | Derek Ryan 03.10.23

Injury Report
OILERS - Oscar Klefbom (shoulder) is on IR; Mike Smith (undisclosed) is on IR;
Ryan Murray
(undisclosed) is on IR.
MAPLE LEAFS - John Tavares (illness) is day-to-day; Luke Schenn (personal) is day-to-day; Ryan O'Reilly (finger) is on IR; Nicholas Robertson (shoulder) is on IR; Victor Mete (lower body) is on IR; Jake Muzzin (neck) is on IR; Carl Dahlstrom (shoulder) is on IR; Rodion Amirov (illness) is on IR.
-- Jamie Umbach, EdmontonOilers.com