Mike Babcock didn’t go looking for a blowup after the Edmonton Oilers were ripped 7-2 by the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday, but he didn’t hide how much the night bothered him either.
His words were clipped, direct, and heavy with frustration. “They played harder, longer, faster than we did,” Babcock said.
“Better defensively. Better offensively.
Just better.” He followed that with, “In your own building on a Saturday night, that should be automatic…”
For a team that came in at 8-1-1 and had a chance to make a statement in a marquee matchup, it was a flat response. Connor McDavid versus Matthews.
Old coach versus new coach. Edmonton against Toronto on a Saturday night with plenty of Leafs fans in the building.
The Oilers had every reason to bring energy, and Babcock made clear they didn’t.
Asked how he plans to get his team motivated for a game with that kind of meaning, he didn’t have a fiery answer ready. “I’m gonna go home, get a good night’s sleep, then get up tomorrow and think about that,” he said.
He also made it clear that losing his cool wouldn’t do much good. When the idea of getting wound up came up, Babcock said, “I already stood there.” He pointed to the Oilers dressing room.
What stung most, though, was the effort level in the home rink. “In your own building on a Saturday night, that should be automatic,” he said.
“Should never get out worked.” And he avoided laying the blame on any one player, adding, “If you look at our whole group, we weren’t good enough.”
Toronto set the tone early and had the crowd with it, even as the number of Oilers supporters in the building thinned out. Edmonton did manage some production, with Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Evan Bouchard each getting points, but it never came close to changing the night.
The bottom-nine forwards were largely quiet, the defense gave up Grade A chances, and Tristan Jarry allowed six goals. The Oilers had just come off a strong showing against Carolina, which only made the drop-off against Toronto look worse - one team, two completely different compete levels.
For a club that had been rolling, this was a rare bad night. Babcock’s calm after the final horn suggested he’d rather sit on it, sleep on it, and address it with a cooler head.
Sunday is off. Monday figures to be worth watching.
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William Nylander put the finishing touch on a statement road win Monday night, scoring twice in the third period as the Maple Leafs rolled past the Oilers 7-2 and stretched their winning streak to four games. Toronto got goals from Jack Roslovic, Auston Matthews, Troy Stecher, Zack MacEwen and Vinni Lettieri as well, while Anthony Stolarz turned aside 30 shots to help keep the game from ever getting back into reach.
The Leafs did plenty of damage in a matchup that featured offense from both sides, with Leon Draisaitl scoring twice for Edmonton and Tristan Jarry making 25 saves in the loss. For Toronto, the bigger takeaway was the way it kept piling on deep into the game, a sign of a group that is finding its rhythm and carrying real confidence into the next stretch of the schedule. [Read more 🡒]