Tonight, two of the NHL's most exciting teams will face off. The Toronto Maple Leafs are hosting the Edmonton Oilers, as both teams will look to find their A-game in time for playoffs, which are under a month away.
This is the second and final matchup of the season between these two teams, and the Toronto Maple Leafs will look to bounce back after falling 4-2 to the Oilers back in January.
These are two similarly built teams, with both squads featuring some of the highest-profile scorers in the entire NHL.
On paper, the Oilers may have a slight edge over the Toronto Maple Leafs, but regardless, this is going to be an entertaining game with plenty of storylines around it.
Toronto Maple Leafs Host Edmonton Oilers: Game Preview
Auston Matthews vs Connor McDavid
The two reigning NHL MVPs will face off for the 18th time in both of their already legendary careers. The Leafs and Matthews own the better record out of these matches, going 11-4-2 in his career vs McDavid thus far.
In terms of individual points, McDavid has the edge with 26 points against Matthews' 18. Matthews does have the slight edge in goals, however, with 12 tallies compared to McDavid's 8.
Regardless, it's going to be an exciting game featuring two of the league's top players.
Zach Hyman Faces His Old Team
Now tied for second in the NHL with 48 goals, former Leafs player Zach Hyman returns to Scotiabank Arena. Seeing Hyman's production since leaving the Leafs for Edmonton in the summer of 2021, many fans are rightfully upset about not re-signing the Canadian winger.
The thing to note is that no one could've predicted that he'd score this many goals on the Oilers, and there's no guarantee he'd be this same type of player had he stayed in Toronto. While it is unfortunate to let a player like that walk for free, it is nice to see him succeed on another team.
In the Pipes: Samsonov vs Skinner
Both goalies starting in Saturday's game, Ilya Samsonov and Stuart Skinner, have overcame rough starts from earlier in the season to now playing much more consistent hockey.
Skinner's stretch of strong play has been much longer than Samsonov's, but both goalies have gained their team's confidence back and have found their groove in the second half of the season.
Final Prediction
On paper, the Oilers have a slightly better squad.
McDavid and Draisaitl are a better duo than Matthews and William Nylander/Mitch Marner, and Stuart Skinner has a slight edge (although Samsonov is still a fine goalie) in between the pipes. The Oilers are also ahead of the Leafs in the standings, with a points % of .657 vs the Leafs .640.
My final prediction is a 4-3 overtime victory for the Edmonton Oilers. These are two great teams twith Stanley Cup aspirations that almost always seem to put on an entertaining game, and really anyone can win this one.
Regardless, I'm super excited for Saturday's match between these two squads.