OVERTIME
4:43: THE DOC! Matthews is kicked away by Smith at one end then the Oilers go to work the other way, with Nurse capping a perfect pass from McDavid for the winner. That’s the defenceman’s 12th of the year. Edmonton gets the monkey off their back against Toronto with a win in the season series finale. The Oilers face the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday.
5:00: Overtime has begun!
THIRD PERIOD
0.0: So close! The Oilers put the pressure on late, looking for the go-ahead goal in regulation but Nurse’s shot labelled for the top corner doesn’t find twine. These two clubs are headed to overtime for the second game in a row!
2:41: Matthews accepts a feed in front but puts his shot wide, later falling and having his skate blade graze Barrie’s face. The Oilers defender escapes unharmed.
6:20: Mikheyev tries to feed it out front to Engvall from below the Oilers goal-line but Smith cuts off the pass and gets the whistle.
10:53: Galchenyuk and Nylander are stopped in back-to-back attempts by Smith as the goalie keeps things tied midway through the third period.
12:19: Draisaitl’s blistering shot from the half-wall catches a deflection off Morgan Rielly’s stick but Hutchinson reacts for the stop.
14:24: Toronto does a good job of holding the line and preventing the Oilers from getting anything set up. McDavid’s low shot in-stride is the best chance of the power play.
17:15: Simmonds staples Haas into the boards from behind, warranting a cross-checking penalty. Edmonton gets their first man advantage of the night.
18:40: TOP-SIX TURRIS! Adam Larsson claps one on and the puck hits Turris to go in for his second goal of the season in his first game since March 8! Coach Dave Tippett gets rewarded for slotting Turris into the top-six alongside Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Kailer Yamamoto. Larsson and Nugent-Hopkins get the assists. | EDM 2, TOR 2
20:00: The puck has dropped on the third period.
SECOND PERIOD
0.0: A scoreless second period prompts a 2-1 advantage for the Maple Leafs heading into the third stanza. Smith is up to 18 saves tonight.
1:39: Smith sees through the screen of Wayne Simmonds to deny Travis Dermott’s wrist shot from the top of the circle.
5:06: Matthews hammers one from his office in the left circle on the man advantage but Nurse tips it away with the blade of his stick. Edmonton kills Haas’ penalty.
7:30: Haas tries to steal the puck from Tavares but gets his stick caught in his skates instead, bringing him down to the ice. The Oilers forward goes off for tripping.
11:11: The Oilers are starting to gain some momentum on the forecheck as Devin Shore slams a one-timer from the right circle that goes just wide of the cage.
14:39: SCHMIDDY! Smith soars across the crease to ROB Ilya Mikheyev on what appeared to be a prime 2-on-1 opportunity.
14:57: Hutchinson makes a great desperation toe save on Nurse’s deflected point shot.
18:30: The Maple Leafs get back to mustering the same pressure they did in the first, cycling the puck around and generating a John Tavares shot from the top of the key.
20:00: The second period has begun.
FIRST PERIOD
0.0: Archibald puts the Oilers on the board but Marner and Matthews power the Maple Leafs to a 2-1 edge at the end of the first.
1:07: William Lagesson lets one go from the blueline and Hutchinson parries it with his blocker then catches the rebound when it bounces back at him off a body in front.
3:25: Toronto continues tilting the ice in their favour with a 13-5 shot advantage near the end of the opening period.
8:52: Matthews circles out front and goes top corner to give Toronto the advantage with his League-leading 23rd goal. | TOR 2, EDM 1
12:01: Mitch Marner drives to the net from the left dot to beat Smith far-side for his 13th of the year. | EDM 1, TOR 1
13:45: ARCHIE! Josh Archibald opens Michael Hutchinson up with a 5-hole backhander on a breakaway to put the Oilers on the board first despite heavy pressure from Toronto. The play all started with a great defensive zone faceoff win by Jujhar Khaira. | EDM 1, TOR 0
14:02: The Maple Leafs continue to bring the heat early as Auston Matthews gets a pair of glorious looks from the slot but doesn’t finish them.
15:05: Alex Galchenyuk gets to a loose puck for a quick shot on Smith but the keeper makes a shoulder save.
16:22: Leon Draisaitl’s pass is intercepted by Zach Hyman, allowing the Maple Leafs forward a chance at a partial break but Darnell Nurse makes a great defensive effort to thwart the attempt.
17:27: Pierre Engvall rushes in from the left side and fires a shot on Smith that gets deflected out of play.
20:00: Tonight’s game has begun! Kyle Turris enters the top-six upfront and Tyler Ennis returns to the lineup on a unit with Gaëtan Haas and Zack Kassian. Mike Smith starts in goal as the Oilers look to bust a four-game winless skid against the Maple Leafs.
In honour of tonight’s #HockeyIsForEveryone 50/50 in support of @RightToPlayCan & @SpiritNorthXC, we’re proudly rocking @PrideTape for warmup.
❤️🧡💛💚💙💜#LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/bad9Aj9m2S
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) March 29, 2021
TONIGHT’S LINEUP
Draisaitl – McDavid – Puljujärvi
Nugent-Hopkins – Turris – Yamamoto
Ennis – Haas – Kassian
Shore – Khaira – Archibald
Nurse – Barrie
Lagesson – Larsson
K. Russell – Bear
Smith
Koskinen
OUT: Caleb Jones, Dominik Kahun, Alex Chiasson
OILERS TODAY | PRE-GAME AT TOR