After the 6-3 loss to Colorado, head coach Jim Hiller singled out Nylander: "I know he can play better than he is right now. I think that's a pretty fair statement." Coaches in Toronto don't say that about their stars unless the room has gotten tense. Toronto has given up 11 goals in its last 2 games. That's a rough way to go into a night against the 2 players who've been scoring more than anyone in the league.
Edmonton's recent wins haven't been blowouts. The 3 victories came by scores of 4-2, 3-1 and 3-2. Right before that, the Oilers lost 4-3 in New Jersey and 5-4 at home to Anaheim. So this team has been winning close games and losing close games, and you can't really say it has been running people over. The Leafs have played with leads, too: they were up 2-1 on Minnesota midway through the game. Holding a lead late has been their problem, not getting one.
The Oilers' injured list is long but mostly depth. Isaac Howard, Matt Savoie, Mattias Janmark and Alec Regula are all on IR, so Edmonton is relying on its top 2 centers even more than usual. Neither team plays again before this one. That means Edmonton's travel and Toronto's skid are what these teams carry into puck drop at 7:00 PM ET. A night against McDavid and Draisaitl is either where Toronto's slide finally ends or where it becomes a real crisis.
