The Edmonton Oilers wrapped up their longest homestand of the season with a thud on Tuesday night, falling 5-2 to the Toronto Maple Leafs in a game that summed up their recent stretch: inconsistent, defensively shaky, and full of missed opportunities.
This was a chance to close out an eight-game homestand with some momentum. Toronto came in on the second night of a back-to-back after playing in Calgary.
On paper, it was a setup the Oilers should’ve exploited. Instead, they let another winnable game slip through their fingers.
The energy inside Rogers Place told the story. As the third period wore on and the Leafs pulled away, “Go Leafs Go!”
chants rang louder than anything the home crowd could muster. What started as a spirited battle between fanbases turned into a Maple Leafs takeover.
And on the ice, the Leafs were the ones dictating the terms.
The first period was tightly contested, but the Leafs broke through early in the second. Jake Walman gave the Oilers a spark with the tying goal midway through the frame, only for Toronto to snatch the lead back just nine seconds later thanks to Matthew Knies. That kind of swing-where you claw your way back into the game only to give it right back-is the kind of thing that’s plagued Edmonton all homestand.
Former Leaf Kasperi Kapanen tied it again early in the third, and for a moment, it looked like the game might go down to the wire. But the Oilers unraveled in a flash.
Two penalties-interference and high-sticking-taken just six seconds apart gave Toronto a 5-on-3, and the Leafs didn’t waste time. After going two straight games without a single power-play opportunity, they cashed in twice in quick succession, flipping a 2-2 tie into a 4-2 lead.
Bobby McMann’s empty-netter with under three minutes left was the final nail.
For Toronto, it was the perfect way to head into the Olympic break. A shootout win in Vancouver, then back-to-back victories in Alberta-three wins in four nights, and suddenly they’re just four points out of a playoff spot in the jam-packed Eastern Conference. It’s the kind of surge that could shift the front office’s thinking as the trade deadline approaches.
But for the Oilers, the big questions remain. They’re still tied with Vegas atop the Pacific Division with 64 points, but the Golden Knights have two games in hand.
Edmonton has just one game left before the break-a Battle of Alberta showdown in Calgary-and they’ll head into it with a 28-21-8 record through 57 games. That’s not bad, but it doesn’t scream contender either.
Not when you’ve allowed 32 goals over your last seven games.
This homestand was supposed to be a chance to stabilize. Instead, it served as a reminder of just how thin the margin for error is in the NHL.
After opening with a dominant 5-0 win over the Blues, the Oilers went 3-4 over the next seven, finishing the stretch at a flat 4-4. Only two of those wins came in regulation.
The defensive issues have been glaring, and the players know it.
“We can’t be letting in five, six, seven goals per game,” said Kasperi Kapanen. “It’s just too much.
That’s not the right way to win. I feel like we’re always trailing by two or three goals.
As a good team, we can’t be doing that. We’ve addressed it, and we’re trying.
It doesn’t happen overnight, but we want to be better defensively.”
Darnell Nurse echoed the frustration, especially when it comes to the penalty kill.
“We need to step up and get the kills, and we weren’t able to do that. That’s the difference,” Nurse said.
“At 2-2, everyone’s trying to do the right thing. We’ve got to keep chipping away and make sure it becomes a strong point for our team.”
And when asked about the homestand as a whole?
“You want to have a better result than .500 at home, obviously,” Nurse said. “There are adjustments I think our team can make. We have a big game [on Wednesday] against Calgary, and we have to learn from this.”
On the other side, Toronto goaltender Anthony Stolarz spoke like a guy who understands the urgency of the moment.
“Right now, points are at a premium and we need every one we can get,” he said. “Any time you can go out there and give your team a chance to win, make some big saves, do your job-it felt good to be able to do that. I’m happy for all the guys.”
And with that, the Oilers head into Calgary for one more test before the Olympic break. It’s a rivalry game, sure, but more than that, it’s a chance to reset the tone heading into a crucial stretch run. Because if this homestand showed anything, it’s that Edmonton still has some work to do before they can be considered a true contender in the West.