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In the coolest run to No. 11 since Spinal Tap’s amplifiers, the Edmonton Oilers roared back like John Bonham’s drum set to beat the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday, ending their winning streak. It reached a thrilling climax.
If there was anything better to do than extend a franchise-record victory march at the expense of the national media’s favorite cuddly toy, the raucous fans at Rogers Place would have been hard-pressed to convince.
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They watched their team win 11 straight games as much as they did last time against the invaders, transplants from Toronto (who are full of arrogance and drunk on $13 beers and trying to ruin the party). I found joy in making people laugh.
In a thrilling playoff-like game that lived up to expectations, the Oilers rose from a 2-0 deficit in the final 25 minutes with goals from Leon Draisaitl, Derek Ryan, and Ryan McLeod and an empty netter from Evan Bouchard. He turned around and won. 19th time in the last 22 games.
“It felt like a playoff game,” said Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner, a key figure in Edmonton’s victory. “It was very loud over there. It reminded me a little bit of what the playoffs were like last year. It’s a lot of fun. I’m glad we were able to beat Toronto and beat the Toronto fans there.”
This is the latest show of strength for a team that hasn’t lost since Dec. 19 against the New York Islanders. In that time, they have outscored their opponents 44-19 and held their opponents to two or fewer goals nine times.
“I thought it was a good competitive hockey game,” Draisaitl said. “They’re a good team, they have a lot of skill and they defend really well for their skill level. It was a victory.”
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Since being tied for last place in the NHL in mid-November, they have won 11 straight games and 19 of their 22 wins, which continues to be the story of the first half of the NHL. Skinner says it goes back to that moment of self-discovery, when it felt like their season was slipping through their fingers.
“A big reason for that is the way we started, where we were able to come together as a team and not leave anyone behind,” he said, adding that this group reminds him of the team that was strong until the end last year.
“I remember last year when Matthias Ekholm was traded here, we were in a really bad place (18-2-1 at the end of the season). It feels great. Together like this. It was fun to play.”
Getting game-tying and game-winning goals from several role players is not lost on an Oilers team that has rounded itself into a very complete package.
“That’s the team we have now,” Draisaitl said. “You can send any line against any game. There were some really big goals by Crowder and Rhino.”
This is the seventh time in 11 games that the Oilers have had to come from behind to win. This time, they were losing 1-0 on an Auston Matthews goal just 27 seconds into their first encounter.
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On a night that was supposed to belong to the shooter’s side, the goalie dominated for most of the game. Martin Jones stopped the Oilers from trailing, and Skinner, who faced two breakaways in the second period, stopped the Leafs from pulling away.
“He was great, especially early on,” Draisaitl said. Throughout the match, he made some big stops at the right times. He’s been great for a long time and it was a really good match for him. “
Morgan Rielly’s goal at 10:52 of the second period didn’t give much of a chance to make it 2-0, but at that point the Oilers’ winning streak appeared to be in jeopardy.
This game was the third straight game in which the Oilers didn’t score in the first 30 minutes, but it was also the first game in a row where they had just won four. It was a low score until it came time to score some goals and get some points.
They used this formula to defeat Ottawa 3-1, Chicago 2-1, Detroit 3-2, and Montreal 2-1.
“Once you do that a few times and win a few games late, it builds confidence in it and a level of comfort that you don’t have to rush to get open,” Draisaitl said. “I think it’s just a maturity level that we’re getting to and obviously we need to continue to develop and improve.”
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Sure enough, when Edmonton went within 2-1 on Draisaitl’s sharp backhand late in the second period and tied it on Ryan’s goal early in the third, it seemed like déjà vu was happening all over again.
it was. McLeod scored with 3:05 left in regulation time to cap off the comeback.
“When you win 10 straight games, the group goes into the third period pretty confident,” McLeod said. “I knew I was going to win, so I went into it with confidence and was able to win.”
Life is good for the hottest team in hockey so far.
“It feels great. It’s always a great feeling to win,” Draisaitl said. “But we worked very hard to get ourselves back on track and we can never let off the gas. That’s something we need to be aware of. Great tonight too. I thought I did my job. We’re not even halfway through the season yet. There’s a lot of hockey left.”
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