Maple Leafs Face Edmonton’s Elite Power Play to Open Road Trip

Toronto’s road trip opens with a demanding special teams test: the Maple Leafs visit the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Place at 7 p.m., with the Oilers carrying a 8-1-1 record and a .850 points percentage. Toronto is 6-4-2 (.583) after edging the New York Rangers 5-4 in regulation on Oct. 22. Edmonton also won its most recent game that night, beating the Carolina Hurricanes 6-5 in a shootout.

The Oilers’ start stands out for its consistency as much as its scoring. Through 10 games, they haven’t recorded consecutive wins, yet they’ve collected points in nine of them. Their wins have come against Vancouver, Seattle, Anaheim, San Jose, Los Angeles, Utah, Minnesota and Carolina, with Vancouver and Utah each appearing once in a pair of meetings.

Special teams could decide the matchup

Edmonton’s power play is the clearest separation point. The Oilers have scored at the second-highest rate in the league with the man advantage; Toronto ranks third. Edmonton has also generated plenty of power-play chances, so the Leafs’ penalty kill will need to carry over the form it showed against the Rangers.

Toronto’s shorthanded expected goals against have improved substantially, a sign that the penalty kill’s recent results have support in the quality of chances it allows. That progress matters against an Edmonton unit that can turn a small number of opportunities into a major swing in the score. The Leafs’ own power play gives them a way to answer, but discipline and clean penalty-kill exits will shape how often either team gets that advantage.

At five-on-five, the underlying picture is closer than the standings suggest. Edmonton is around league average in Corsi and below that level in expected goals, while Toronto is only slightly behind the Oilers in that measure. The teams are also similar in their rate of expected goals for. Neither profile points to a major five-on-five edge, which makes special teams and goaltending especially relevant.

The Oilers have produced a heavy run of goals over their past four games, even while often losing the Corsi battle. That scoring pace is difficult to sustain without controlling more of the shot attempts, but it shows how dangerous Edmonton can be when its finishers get chances. The Leafs have also been scoring above expected, so both teams arrive with offense that could outrun their five-on-five chance share.

Edmonton’s projected lineup

The forward combinations below were reported by Bob Stauffer from the previous day’s practice, with line information supplied through Daily Faceoff:

Vasily Podkolzin — Connor McDavid — Leon Draisaitl
Kasperi Kapanen — Ryan Nugent-Hopkins — Zach Hyman
Alex Formenton — Owen Michaels — Mathieu Joseph
Max Jones — Colton Dach — Filip Hallander

Shakir Mukhamadullin — Evan Bouchard
Ryan Shea — Connor Murphy
Jake Walman — Ty Emberson

Tristan Jarry was listed as the starter, with Matt Tomkins as the other goaltender. Jarry has been below average in three starts, according to the source preview, while Devon Levi has had respectable results as a backup. Levi is injured, making Jarry the expected opponent for Toronto.

Toronto’s injuries and expected combinations

Toronto’s injury picture includes Chris Tanev, who remains on injured reserve but has joined the road trip and is skating. Marshall Rifai is day-to-day, while Nick Blankenburg is week-to-week after his last game. The Leafs recalled Cole McWard and Dakota Mermis; McWard is described as a strong AHL-level defenceman with nine career NHL games.

Sergei Bobrovsky missed the previous day’s practice for a scheduled day off, making Anthony Stolarz the likely starter. Mark Masters’ practice report, with combinations provided through Daily Faceoff, had Toronto aligned this way:

Easton Cowan — Auston Matthews — Jack Roslovic
Kirill Marchenko — Nick Paul — William Nylander
Gavin McKenna — Colton Sissons — Vinni Lettieri
Brandon Duhaime — Teddy Blueger — Zack MacEwen

Jake McCabe — Darren Raddysh
Morgan Rielly — Troy Stecher
Dakota Mermis — Oliver Ekman-Larsson

Anthony Stolarz was listed as the likely starter, with Bobrovsky as the other goaltender. Those combinations came from practice and should be treated as projected; the available preview doesn’t confirm the final lineup.

The first challenge on the trip

Toronto needs to protect the middle, stay out of the penalty box and make Edmonton work through five-on-five shifts. The Oilers’ record and scoring talent make them the stronger team on paper, but their chance profile leaves room for the Leafs to compete at even strength. If Toronto’s penalty kill holds and its own power play converts, the opener can become a much tighter contest than Edmonton’s fast start suggests.

The key watch is whether Toronto can keep the Oilers’ dangerous power play from setting the pace. If it can, the Leafs’ recent scoring gives them a credible path to start the trip with a result.