The Leafs let one slip away on Thursday night against San Jose, but honestly, a lot of conversation coming out of that game seems to be around how they may have managed to dodge a bullet on the Oliver Ekman-Larsson injury front.
That’s where the conversation started on the Friday edition of Leafs Morning Take. At this point, OEL, who left the game with a lower body injury, is hopeful he can play against Edmonton. Watching the injury in real-time, there was serious concern that the Swede, who’s been Toronto’s top D this season, could miss significant time. Great on that front. Additionally, we did discuss some of the updates to Brandon Carlo and Chris Tanev. It just feels like every time the Leafs get someone back, someone else goes down. The injury bug has hammered this team hard this season.
At any rate, we got into full analysis and breakdown of their 3-2 OT loss against San Jose. Firstly, they got a point, so that means the point streak is now up to six games (4-0-2). That said, there’s no question that they let that game slip away. John Klingberg tied it with 1:25 left in regulation, then Alex Wennberg potted the OT winner. And yes, we did discuss the carelessness with the puck from William Nylander and Auston Matthews late in the game. Bottom line: The Leafs need to find a way to win games like that. They controlled the night, but ultimately, they fell just short of the two points. Dennis Hildeby was fantastic again making 29 saves. Meantime, the Joshua-Roy-Nylander trio actually looked pretty good. Overall, Nylander – despite the ugly final few shifts – had himself a great bounce-back effort after being demoted to the third line. The Leafs even scored a power play goal, which was great to see. On top of all that, we talked quickly about Henry Thrun’s Leafs debut. We didn’t notice him that much, so that’s good.
After that, the incomparable Paul Bissonnette stopped by. All in all, he share does still have the PASSION. Biz broke down the OT loss, his opinion on Nylander/Matthews, and where he thinks the Leafs are headed long-term. On top of that, he dished on what he thinks this team needs. Also, he hit on OEL’s evolution as a player, the struggling power play, and the Nylander-Berube dynamic. Lastly, Biz dissected the crease and how he thinks it could be smart for the Leafs to use one of their goalies as a potential trade chip moving forward.
Lastly, we weighed in on the Oilers rolling into town Saturday. Troy Stecher will play his former team for the first time. Meantime, it will be fascinating to see if Tristan Jarry, Edmonton’s new No. 1 goalie, gets the call for that one. Bobby McMann will presumably draw back in after serving his one game suspension. The Alberta native’s notched five goals in four career games against the Oilers.
Zack Phillips and Jay Rosehill will have you covered the Monday edition of Leafs Morning Take. Join them as they recap Leafs/Oilers, plus look ahead to the final game of Toronto’s five game homestand on Tuesday night against Chicago.
You can subscribe to TheLeafsNation (TLN) YouTube channel HERE. Additionally, we’re available in podcast form, too —wherever you get your podcasts. While you’re at it, be sure to leave us a 5-star review!