By Canadian Press

Connor McDavid dazzles, Oilers end Leafs’ point streak at 10 games

Jan 6, 2020 | 6:57 PM

TORONTO — Connor McDavid scored a highlight-reel goal and added three assists as the Edmonton Oilers snapped the Toronto Maple Leafs’ point streak at 10 games with a 6-4 victory on Monday.

McDavid got the puck at Toronto’s blue line and cleanly beat Morgan Rielly 1-on-1 using his speed with a fake to the inside before going wide and snapping the puck top corner on Michael Hutchinson with 8:34 to go in regulation.

Oscar Klefbom, Darnell Nurse, Kailer Yamamoto, Alex Chiasson and Leon Draisaitl also scored for the Oilers (22-17-5), who were making the third stop on a five-game road trip. 

Jason Spezza, Frederik Gauthier, Pierre Engvall and Auston Matthews scored for the Maple Leafs (24-14-5), who were 9-0-1 in their last 10 games.

Mike Smith made 31 saves for the win.

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Frederik Andersen, who entered the night 12-0-1 in his career against Edmonton, allowed three goals on 19 shots before getting replaced by Hutchinson less than two minutes into the second period. Hutchinson finished with 13 saves and was pegged with the loss.

Klefbom opened the scoring 7:51 in when he wristed a shot from the point that went through traffic and beat a screened Andersen low blocker side. 

Andersen made 16 saves in a period mostly dominated by McDavid and the Oilers. 

McDavid was flying in the first with 9:10 of ice time, five shots, and another scoring chance where the puck trickled just past the post.

Smith was there for the Oilers when needed in the opening frame with 11 stops, with the veteran goaltender’s biggest save coming against John Tavares from the slot with 33 seconds to go to keep it a one-goal game heading into intermission.

Rielly took a Zack Kassian shot in the chin with five to play in the first and skated off on his own to the dressing room for repairs. He returned to start the second.

Edmonton didn’t need much time to take a three-goal lead early in the second, ending Andersen’s night in the process.

McDavid found a streaking Nurse, who snapped it over Andersen’s right shoulder 34 seconds into the period. Then Draisaitl set up Yamamoto with a cross-ice feed only 1:11 later, leading to Hutchinson coming in.

Spezza put Toronto on the board 39 seconds after Yamamoto’s goal, taking a pass from Engvall on a 3-on-2 and firing it blocker side past Smith.

Chiasson restored a three-goal lead for Edmonton with 6:19 to go in the second when he snapped the puck over Hutchinson’s shoulder from the top of the left face-off circle, but the Leafs surged back with two goals in three minutes for a 4-3 game heading into the third.

Gauthier, from in close, finished off a pass from Mason Marchment, who picked up his first career NHL point, at 16:22. Then Engvall deflected a Justin Holl point shot by Smith with 47 seconds to go. 

Toronto put 18 shots towards Smith in the second and led 29-26 through 40 minutes.

The Leafs killed three straight Edmonton power plays, including one early in the third, but couldn’t do it a fourth time as Draisaitl fired the puck glove side on Hutchinson at 6:26 of the period to make it 5-3.

After McDavid’s goal made it 6-3, Matthews got one back for Toronto on the power play, snapping it glove side on Smith from the right face-off dot.

Edmonton is in Montreal to play the Canadiens Thursday. Toronto’s next game is Wednesday at home against the Winnipeg Jets.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 6, 2020.

Kyle Cicerella, The Canadian Press