Connor McDavid scores a pair of goals in 4-3 overtime win for Oilers over Maple Leafs

Jan 30, 2021 | 7:23 PM

EDMONTON — Connor McDavid scored his second goal of the night 42 seconds into overtime as the Edmonton Oilers defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-3 on Saturday.

McDavid, who also had an assist, redirected a pass from Leon Draisaitl off the rush for his seventh goal of the season.

Dominik Kahun and Josh Archibald also scored for Edmonton (4-6-0). Mikko Koskinen stopped 26 shots. Draisaitl and Tyson Barrie each added two assists for the Oilers, who halted a two-game slide.

Auston Matthews, William Nylander and Zach Hyman replied for Toronto (7-2-1), while John Tavares added two assists as the Leafs saw their four-game winning streak come to an end.

Frederik Andersen, who made 27 saves, dropped to 14-1-2 in his career against the Oilers.

The expected offensive fireworks with McDavid, Matthews, Leon Draisaitl and Mitch Marner sharing the ice didn’t materialize when the teams split a pair of games in Toronto last week, but the Leafs’ 4-3 victory Thursday served as Saturday’s undercard.

Tied 3-3 in the third period, the Leafs’ second-ranked power play — which knotted the score in the second — went to work when Kailer Yamamoto was whistled for holding, but the Oilers’ penalty kill held firm as Koskinen robbed Marner with a desperation glove save.

Andersen, who came in with a perfect 7-0-0 career record in Edmonton, made his best stop of the night in the dying seconds of regulation when he stretched to stop Archibald on a 2-on-1 rush.

With his team leading 2-1 after the first, McDavid added another highlight-reel goal against Toronto to his resume in the second.

The Oilers captain collected the puck in Edmonton’s end on a power play, sliced through the neutral zone and stepped around Leafs defenceman Jake Muzzin like he wasn’t even there before going backhand forehand on Andersen for his sixth of the campaign at 6:13.

The usually-stoic McDavid cracked a wide smile in celebration of a sequence that harkened back to the goal he scored in Toronto last January when No. 97 stepped past Morgan Rielly.

But the Leafs, who took two from the Calgary Flames before Thursday’s victory in Edmonton, responded 1:55 later when Matthews scored his sixth — and fifth in as many games — from a sharp angle after Marner heeled his shot to make it 3-2.

Toronto then tied things just 68 seconds after that on a man advantage when Mikko Lehtonen’s point shot that was tipped by Tavares dropped at Hyman’s feet for him to sweep home his second. Lehtonen’s assist was the former KHL star’s first in North America after signing with the Leafs in the off-season.

McDavid came close to finding the range again later in the period, but his shot hit the post, struck the back of Andersen’s leg and stayed out.

On the heels of Thursday’s game that lacked much flow with 11 combined power plays, the teams traded chances early — including Tyler Ennis missing the net on a penalty shot after Lehtonen saved a goal by covering the puck with his glove in the crease — in a fast-paced opening 20 minutes before Edmonton nudged in front when Kahun scored his first with the Oilers at 11:28.

The German winger took a pass from Draisaitl, his childhood friend, and fanned on his first shot before scooping his second up and over Andersen, who went down on the initial effort.

Toronto got even with 2:14 left in the period when Nylander took advantage of an Edmonton turnover by scoring his fourth, and second in as many games.

But the Oilers retook the lead with 14 seconds when McDavid fed a pass against grain from behind Andersen’s net to Archibald, who deposited his second.

Notes: Edmonton and Toronto will play five more times in the all-Canadian North Division…McDavid recorded his fourth straight multi-point game… Both teams wore their Reverse Retro jerseys for the first time… Claimed by Edmonton off waivers Jan. 16 from the Los Angeles Kings, Troy Grosenick dressed as Koskinen’s backup completing a 14-day quarantine after crossing the Canada-U.S. border…The Oilers will host the Ottawa Senators on Sunday and Tuesday….Toronto now heads home to prepare for three straight against the Vancouver Canucks beginning Thursday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 30, 2021.

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The Canadian Press