Immediate reaction: Maple Leafs enter the Olympic break on a high note with a win over Western Canada

Thanks to a rare 5-on-3 power play in the third period, the Leafs edged past the Oilers 5-2. It was another strong evening from William Nylander. It was another big night for Matias Maccelli with a couple of goals. It was Matthew Knies at his best, and most importantly, it was the strong night Anthony Stolarz desperately needed to get back on track and stop 34 of 36 shots.

The Olympic break could still be an important time of reflection for the Maple Leafs and with some of their Eastern Conference rivals still having a chance to gain ground on the Maple Leafs in Wednesday and Thursday night games, the reality is that the Maple Leafs are still a team that will sell and need some new personnel both on and off the ice, although this time it shouldn’t just be change for change’s sake.

Back to the game: As an Edmontonian who shudders every time I hear the Oilers goal horn, this win feels good. The Leafs played aggressively against McDavid, not taking any bullshit when the Oilers got in Anthony Stolarz’s face, and the Leafs blueliners continued to rise to the occasion with Rielly joining Chris Tanev on injured reserve.

Some other notes:

• I’m not sure if Matthew Knies will benefit from the reduced third-line pressure, but it’ll be fun to see what Nic Roy can do when given a little more talent to work with. It was nice to keep Roy and Knies together, but if McMann is traded, the Leafs will likely decide to either put Knies back with Matthews or give him some time off to fully recover from his injury.
• Oliver Ekman-Larsson’s mean streak on full display in Edmonton was encouraging to see, and will remind rival GMs what OEL can bring to a playoff team, or remind people like me that keeping him on the Leafs isn’t the worst thing either.
• Another strong night from Scott Laughton, but he should be part of the trade deadline plans for the Maple Leafs.
• Nylander’s defensive play has certainly improved since returning from injury and his lecture on McDavid was a quiet highlight of the evening.

It’s nice to have good feelings about the Leafs this week, but hope and optimism still need to be checked at the door.

PRESENTED BY OFF THE ROSTER