By The Canadian Press

‘We were really starting to click there’: Leafs enter Olympic break on win streak

Feb 4, 2026 | 2:00 AM

EDMONTON — Matthew Knies is of two minds when it comes to the NHL’s upcoming Olympic break.

While the Toronto Maple Leafs winger and teammates could use some time off, the pause in play comes at an inopportune time.

“It kind of sucks that there’s a stop to (the season) now because I thought we were really starting to click there,” he said after Toronto’s 5-2 win over the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday.

“But it’s good because I think a lot of us need a refresher just to heal up and get some rest and try to come back with that same mentality.”

The Leafs head into the break with three straight wins.

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Tuesday’s game turned midway through the third period when a couple of quick Edmonton penalties gave Toronto an extended 5-on-3 advantage.

Rookie Oilers winger Matt Savoie was called for interference on Troy Stecher at 6:38 into the frame, and six seconds later, Mattias Janmark followed him to the box for high-sticking Auston Matthews.

Janmark said he felt he was held on the play, but admitted his stick got up into Matthews’ face.

“I’m not trying to score a goal. I’m out there trying to kill a penalty, I’m trying to win a stick battle. If I don’t win that battle, he’s going the other way,” said the Oilers winger.

“So he’s a good player. I try to really bear down. And, yeah, I felt like I was maybe held a little. I’m not going in there trying to high-stick a guy. But at the end of the day, like you said, they’re two minutes 5-on-3 in a 2-2 game in the third. And it cost us the game. So gotta try to avoid it.”

Edmonton fended off the Toronto attack for nearly a minute before John Tavares tipped a puck from William Nylander in from the side of the crease to give the Leafs a 3-2 lead.

Matias Maccelli followed suit on the remaining power play, burying his second goal of the night and 10th of the season.

“They were good tonight, but we played a solid two-way game too,” he said. “We had the right mindset coming into the game, and we executed and stayed faithful.”

While Toronto has strung together three wins in four days, the Leafs remain five points out of a wild-card spot and will now sit idle until Feb. 25 when they resume play following the Olympic break.

The team has a lot of confidence right now, but there’s still work to be done, said head coach Craig Berube.

“Coming out of the break, we’ve got to be prepared because obviously we’ve got some catching up to do here,” he said. “So, three wins and going on a break is a good boost for our team. And I’m proud of our team, the way we’ve competed on the road here.”

NOT-SO-SPECIAL TEAMS

Edmonton went 0-for-1 on the power play on Tuesday and conceded two goals on two penalties.

Special teams have been an issue for the Oilers in recent weeks. The team has conceded eight goals on 16 penalties over its last five games.

“We needed to step up and get kills ,and we weren’t able to do it. That’s the difference,” said defenceman Darnell Nurse. “We have to chip away at that and make sure it becomes a strong point of our team.”

HOME ICE ADVANTAGE?

The loss wrapped an eight-game homestand where the Oilers went 4-4-0 and were outscored 32-30.

“We haven’t been playing our best,” Kasperi Kapanen said of the stretch. “And obviously, playing eight games in a row at home, you’d like to win more games. But that’s how it is now, and can’t do anything about it.”

Edmonton is now 15-10-4 at Rogers Arena this season, with 12 home games left on the regular-season schedule.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 4, 2026.

Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press