{"id":693944,"date":"2026-10-24T02:33:15","date_gmt":"2026-10-24T02:33:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/693944\/"},"modified":"2026-10-24T02:33:15","modified_gmt":"2026-10-24T02:33:15","slug":"matchup-of-two-best-players-in-the-world-has-toronto-maple-leafs-excited-for-road-trip-opener-against-edmonton-oilers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/693944\/","title":{"rendered":"Matchup of \u2018Two best players in the world\u2019 has Toronto Maple Leafs excited for road trip opener against Edmonton Oilers"},"content":{"rendered":"

With 31 points in 10 games, Edmonton Oilers<\/a> centre Connor McDavid<\/a> is off to the hottest start of his career.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s really too surprising,\u201d said Toronto Maple Leafs<\/a> centre Auston Matthews<\/a>. \u201cSince he\u2019s came in the league, he\u2019s been the standard. Obviously a fantastic player and not too many people in the history of the game have done what he\u2019s continued to do. So, it\u2019s obviously really impressive and a lot of respect for him and, you know, a very very big challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n

McDavid is 10 points clear of teammate Leon Draisaitl<\/a> for top spot in the scoring race. He\u2019s also leading the league with a plus-18 mark. McDavid\u2019s only been a minus player in one game this season. <\/p>\n

McDavid is on pace for 260 points in 84 games, which would be 45 more than Wayne Gretzky\u2019s current single-season record (215 in 1985-86). <\/p>\n

And yet the Leafs feel like Matthews is up to the challenge on Saturday night when Toronto takes on the Oilers in the Alberta capital. After all, Toronto\u2019s captain is off to his own hot start with eight goals and 18 points in 12 games. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe two best players in the world going against each other,\u201d said Leafs defenceman Troy Stecher<\/a>, who was claimed off waivers from the Oilers last season. \u201cAll-Canadian matchup. It\u2019s one of the reasons you play the game. It\u2019s going to be a fun one.\u201d<\/p>\n

Matthews leads the Leafs at plus-five this season. No other player on the team is better than plus-one. <\/p>\n

McDavid topped TSN\u2019s Top 50 Players<\/a> list heading into the season for a 10th straight year while Matthews fell to 14th after an injury-plagued campaign. Matthews produced a career-low 27 goals in 60 games last year. <\/p>\n

But the 29-year-old from Arizona seems healthy and reinvigorated to start this season. So, if anyone can slow down McDavid right now, it may be Matthews. <\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a hungry guy,\u201d observed rookie winger Gavin McKenna<\/a>. \u201cHe\u2019s very competitive and, yeah, he\u2019s got an unbelievable stick. He\u2019s not on the ice for a lot of goals against. He\u2019s one of those guys who you can put in that situation. We all believe in him and I think you\u2019ll see it on Saturday. He\u2019s going to step up to that occasion and we\u2019re all looking forward to it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Matthews got the better of Nathan MacKinnon<\/a> during a superstar showdown in Denver on Oct. 10. The Colorado Avalanche<\/a> centre scored twice early only to see Matthews respond with two goals and two assists in a 6-3 Leafs win. <\/p>\n

\u201cSame thing when we were in Colorado a couple weeks ago,\u201d Matthews said of the mindset against McDavid. \u201cYou\u2019re gonna play some really good players, some really elite players, and you just try to limit their time and space as much as possible. They\u2019re gonna get their chances. They\u2019re gonna get their opportunities and they\u2019re gonna make something out of nothing sometimes. So [you\u2019re] just trying to limit that as much as you can.\u201d<\/p>\n

Matthews has faced McDavid 21 times in the NHL, with the Leafs winning 14 of the games. Matthews has piled up 13 goals and 23 points in the matchups with McDavid, who has hit back with 10 goals and 32 points. Matthews is plus five in the games. McDavid is plus three. <\/p>\n

Matthews is a three-time Rocket Richard Trophy winner but he\u2019s also been nominated for the Selke Trophy. He embraces the opportunity to try and outdo an elite opponent.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo fear,\u201d said linemate and good friend Jack Roslovic, who played for the Oilers last season. \u201cDoesn\u2019t get jittery. It\u2019s just his presence is really, you know, calming but alertful for the whole team. He\u2019s definitely our backbone. And his ability to play 200-feet is, you know, \u2018Wow, he\u2019s so good.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Matthews unfazed by McDavid’s record-setting start: ‘I don’t think it’s really too surprising’ Ahead of the Maple Leafs’ matchup with the Oilers on Saturday night, Toronto captain Auston Matthews was asked what he felt about Connor McDavid’s red hot start and how challenging it will be matching up against him. <\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

Roslovic describes it as \u201cenjoyable\u201d to go up against McDavid. <\/p>\n

\u201cYou get to go against the best,\u201d he explained. \u201cSo it\u2019s fun too. It\u2019s fun to test yourself. It\u2019s fun to hold yourself up to that.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s already been a fun week for Roslovic, who scored and added two assists on Tuesday in a win over his hometown Blue Jackets, whom he played for from 2020 to 2024. <\/p>\n

\u201cAs well as I\u2019ve seen him play,\u201d gushed head coach Jim Hiller. <\/p>\n

Roslovic and Matthews are reconnecting on Toronto\u2019s top line after playing together during their junior days at the USA Hockey National Team Development Program. <\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a really smart player,\u201d said Matthews. \u201cSkates obviously so, so well and I just feel like the chemistry with myself and him has gotten better and better as we\u2019ve gotten more reps. You get two pre-season games and you jump right into it, but I feel like it\u2019s just continuing to build. And now we have a really good understanding of where we want to play and how we want to play and where each other are at, no matter who\u2019s on the left side.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roslovic followed up the game in Columbus with an assist on Thursday against another former team in the New York Rangers<\/a>. He\u2019ll finish the week by facing a third former team in the Oilers.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s flying,\u201d said Matthews. \u201cIt\u2019s been an expensive week for him so far [with money on the board] and it\u2019s gonna continue.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cAlways a fun opportunity to play against guys that you battle with in practice,\u201d Roslovic. <\/p>\n

Seeing McDavid and the Oilers up close was eye-opening for Roslovic, who is on his sixth NHL team. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a big learning process for me,\u201d the 29-year-old said. \u201cThe culture was really good. It was the work ethic off the ice that was a big learning curve for me. I don\u2019t want to say too many nice things. I hope we beat them. I think we have a lot of that in this locker room too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Leafs’ Roslovic ‘flying’ during revenge week; playing for Oilers was ‘big learning curve’ After the Maple Leafs squared up with the Rangers and Blue Jackets earlier this week, the next stop on forward Jack Roslovic’s revenge tour is Edmonton on Saturday night. Roslovic says he been enjoying matching up against his old teammates and shares his most memorable moments from his time as an Edmonton Oiler. <\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

McKenna picked up a power-play assist on Thursday and is up to seven points through 12 games. The teenager can only marvel at what McDavid\u2019s doing. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s like every night you just are expecting him to put up five points,\u201d McKenna said. \u201cI don\u2019t know how he\u2019s doing it. But I got to skate with him this summer and kind of see what he was like, and he\u2019s out of this world.\u201d<\/p>\n

What did the 2026 first-overall pick see from the 2015 first-overall pick? <\/p>\n

\u201cWell, first thing that stands out is the speed,\u201d McKenna noted. \u201cI think everyone talks about that. But it\u2019s just the way he sees the game. He\u2019s able to slow it down, speed it up, and then find those open guys and spots where not many guys could find them. So, you know, watching him, it\u2019s pretty crazy. And, yeah, to play against him, hopefully we can shut him down.\u201d<\/p>\n

This is the closest thing McKenna, a native of Whitehorse, will have to homecoming games this season. The Leafs will play in Edmonton, Calgary and Seattle before wrapping up the trip in Vancouver a week from Saturday. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think I\u2019ll have more [supporters] coming to Vancouver,\u201d McKenna said. \u201cBut I think there will be a decent crew coming all over the West swing.\u201d<\/p>\n

McKenna is hoping to deliver some memorable moments. The power play is clicking with him on the top unit, but chemistry at 5-on-5 is a work in progress with linemates Colton Sissons<\/a> and Vinni Lettieri<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re focusing on trying to produce,\u201d said McKenna, who has gone seven straight games without a 5-on-5 point. \u201cI think there\u2019s been times where we\u2019ve been hemmed in our own zone and have not had a whole lot of chances. So I think, for us, it\u2019s just supporting each other all over the ice and playing simple. I think when we\u2019re putting the pucks in, going to work, you know, finding each other, being close and supporting each other, I think that\u2019s when our chances have come. So, if we stick to that then I think it\u2019ll be a good road trip.\u201d<\/p>\n

McKenna logged just 10:44 on Thursday, which was his second-lowest total of the season ahead of only the 6:36 he played during the Oct. 15 game against Buffalo when he was benched. <\/p>\n

\u201cThey played a little bit too much in their own end,\u201d acknowledged Hiller of the third line. \u201cI would say, they\u2019re two offensive wingers, so we got to find a way to get them in the O-zone and playing in the O-zone a little bit more and be more dangerous. So whether that\u2019s more O-zone starts or just sometimes trying to forecheck a little bit more and winning some battles and playing in the O-zone, you know, that\u2019s where they need to spend more time.\u201d<\/p>\n

‘Don’t know how he’s doing it’: McKenna marvels at McDavid as he aims get his own offence going With a tough match ahead on Saturday, Gavin McKenna says the Maple Leafs are ready to step up defensively against the high-flying Oilers and commends the way Connor McDavid sees the game and uses his speed to dominate his opponents on a nightly basis. <\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

McKenna revealed the inspiration for the arm-waving celebration being used by Leafs players early this season. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe did it in college,\u201d the Penn State product said with a grin. \u201cIf someone did something cool or they\u2019re, like, a beauty then you do that and then I started doing it here with the guys and it\u2019s pretty cool to see it catch on.\u201d<\/p>\n

How did it start? <\/p>\n

\u201cIt was in training camp,\u201d McKenna recalled. \u201cSomeone scored a nice goal and I hit it and they were like, \u2018What does that mean?\u2019 and they all caught on.\u201d <\/p>\n

‘Cool to see it catch on’: McKenna reveals inspiration for Leafs arm-wave celebration\u00a0 Maple Leafs rookie Gavin Mckenna was asked about his arm-wave celebration that is taking the team by storm and explains the origin of it from back in his college playing days. <\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

The many injuries on defence for the Maple Leafs will complicate the team\u2019s attempt to slow down McDavid on Saturday. Chris Tanev<\/a>, who often takes on the toughest minutes, is skating and travelling with the team, but remains week-to-week with an upper-body injury suffered in Colorado. <\/p>\n

Darren Raddysh<\/a> has been slotting in beside Jake McCabe<\/a>, who is Tanev\u2019s usual partner. <\/p>\n

Raddysh is averaging 24:36 of ice time to lead the team in the six games since Tanev got hurt. That\u2019s up from the 23:10 he averaged in the first six games of the season. <\/p>\n

\u201cSome guys have stepped up,\u201d said coach Jim Hiller. \u201cDidn\u2019t expect him to be playing this much and so that\u2019s thrust him into more of an all-round role, like a shutdown role. And I don\u2019t know if that was necessarily his role before, but he\u2019s done a great job with us there. I think that\u2019s what\u2019s really been a surprise for us, and maybe where his game is underrated is what a solid defensive player he is. Competitive, strong, great reads, so that\u2019s been really important.\u201d<\/p>\n

Toronto\u2019s defensive depth is now being further tested as Marshall Rifai<\/a> sustained a lower-body injury in Columbus on Tuesday and Nick Blankenburg<\/a> went down with an upper-body injury after getting walloped by Rangers centre Will Cuylle<\/a> on Thursday. Both blueliners are now on injured reserve and out week-to-week. <\/p>\n

The Leafs have said that the \u2018week-to-week\u2019 designation means the player is expected to be out between one and six weeks. <\/p>\n

Dakota Mermis<\/a>, who suited up in 11 games with the Leafs last season and has 89 NHL games under his belt, was called up from the American Hockey League and took the first reps beside Oliver Ekman-Larsson<\/a> on the third pair at practice. <\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s played a lot,\u201d Hiller said of the 32-year-old. \u201cMature, strong player. I think he\u2019s kind of NHL ready, I would say. So we\u2019re not worried about him if he\u2019s got to go in. Played really well in the pre-season too, by the way.\u201d<\/p>\n

The team also called up Cole McWard<\/a>, who has nine NHL games on his resume, including three with the New York Islanders<\/a> last season. McWard rotated in as the seventh defenceman at practice.<\/p>\n

The Leafs contemplated calling up 20-year-old Ben Danford<\/a>, who is the team\u2019s top defensive prospect, but opted to keep him with the Marlies for now. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think the one mistake you can make is maybe trying to rush people,\u201d Hiller cautioned. \u201cWe\u2019ve got good options.\u201d<\/p>\n

Leafs Ice Chips: Leaning on Raddysh with injuries piling up As Maple Leafs shutdown defenceman Chris Tanev continues to rehab from an upper-body injury sustained last Saturday, Toronto has been leaning heavily on Darren Raddysh, who is averaging about 24 and a half minutes in the last six games. As injuries pile up on the Leafs’ blue line, Toronto has called up Cole McWard and Dakota Mermis as reinforcements. TSN’s Mark Masters has more. <\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

Saturday is the first time the Leafs will face Mike Babcock since he was fired as Toronto\u2019s head coach on Nov. 20, 2019. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s about 100 years ago, right,\u201d the Oilers bench boss told reporters in Edmonton. \u201cEven the Beatles broke up, so you get on with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been seven years, but Babcock\u2019s impact is still felt on the franchise. <\/p>\n

\u201cBabs gave me my chance and pulled me out of junior, where maybe others may not have,\u201d said Hiller. <\/p>\n

Hiller served as head coach of the Tri-City Americans for five seasons before getting the call from Babcock to join his staff with the Detroit Red Wings<\/a> for the 2014-15 season. <\/p>\n

\u201cJimmy\u2019s a real good man,\u201d Babcock said. \u201cI\u2019m proud of him. He\u2019s done real well …. I was going to take my daughter to the University of Portland and he was in that area. We met and he thought 100 per cent different than me, so I hired him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hiller followed Babcock to Toronto when he took the Leafs job, where they were together for three more seasons. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe had a lot of fun,\u201d Hiller said. \u201cIt was an exciting time to be part of the Maple Leafs back then, and I look back on it fondly.\u201d<\/p>\n

After a last-place finish in 2015-16 led the Leafs to win the draft lottery and select Matthews, Babcock guided Toronto to the playoffs in three straight seasons. He worked with young players like Matthews, Mitch Marner<\/a>, William Nylander<\/a>, Morgan Rielly<\/a> and Zach Hyman<\/a> during their formative years in the NHL. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere was a big focus on defensive stuff,\u201d Matthews recalled. \u201cYou know, a lot of video on guys like [Henrik] Zetterberg, [Patrice] Bergeron, [Sidney] Crosby, stuff like that. And I think coming in the league as an 18-, 19-year-old, you know, you don\u2019t really think about that stuff too much. And, obviously, you come to the NHL level and it\u2019s, you know, it\u2019s hard. It\u2019s difficult and defensive positioning, awareness, all that stuff, plays a pretty big part into your offensive stuff as well. So, I feel like that\u2019s kind of what he preached a lot, especially my first couple years.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Leafs lost in six games to the Presidents\u2019 Trophy winning Washington Capitals<\/a> in 2017 before falling in seven games to the Boston Bruins<\/a> in 2018 and 2019. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe lost in the first round, I think, three times when I was there,\u201d Babcock said. \u201cBut I also know what we had and we had kids. I\u2019m proud of my time there. I loved my time there.\u201d<\/p>\n

‘Babs gave me my chance’: Hiller, Matthews reflect on how Babcock influenced their careers\u00a0 As Mike Babcock and the Oilers host the Maple Leafs this Saturday, Leafs head coach Jim Hiller reflects on the impact working on Babcock’s staff made on his career. Captain Auston Matthews discusses what he learned about the game with the aid of Babcock when he was just entering the league. <\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

Troy Stecher<\/a> was Toronto\u2019s unlikely hero on Thursday. The defenceman, who wears No. 28, scored with 28 seconds remaining to give the Leafs a 5-4 lead. <\/p>\n

Stecher revved up the crowd while teammates celebrated emphatically at the bench. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt was electric,\u201d Matthews said. \u201cHe\u2019s been known to pump up the crowd before, so it was obviously a really big goal. You know, the building was rocking.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Leafs have won three straight games for the first time this season. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a huge team win,\u201d Stecher told TSN. \u201cIt felt like early in the year we were trying to find our game, find chemistry amongst each other and, you know, we won two in a row and it would\u2019ve been easy for us to kind of let our foot off the gas and prepare for the road trip, but we found a way to have a complete 60 minutes. It wasn\u2019t pretty at times, but it was a great team win. We have some good mojo going on the road so we\u2019re in a good place.\u201d<\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky<\/a> (rest) did not take part in Friday\u2019s practice. <\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

Lines at Friday\u2019s practice: <\/p>\n

Cowan – Matthews – Roslovic<\/p>\n

Marchenko – Paul – Nylander<\/p>\n

McKenna – Sissons – Lettieri<\/p>\n

Duhaime – Blueger – MacEwen<\/p>\n

Groulx<\/p>\n

McCabe – Raddysh<\/p>\n

Rielly – Stecher<\/p>\n

Mermis – Ekman-Larsson<\/p>\n

McWard<\/p>\n

Stolarz<\/p>\n

Bonello (EBUG)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"With 31 points in 10 games, Edmonton Oilers centre Connor McDavid is off to the hottest start of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":693945,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5125],"tags":[4759,33999,32611,198,146,5300,5,4,24,32467],"class_list":["post-693944","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-edmonton-oilers","tag-apple-news","tag-auston-matthews-sports-hockey-player-player-nhl-api-8479318","tag-connor-mcdavid-sports-hockey-player-player-nhl-api-8478402","tag-edmonton","tag-edmonton-oilers","tag-edmontonoilers","tag-hockey","tag-nhl","tag-oilers","tag-toronto-maple-leafs-sports-hockey-team-team-nhl-api-10"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/117493550471641912","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/693944","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=693944"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/693944\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/693945"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=693944"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=693944"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=693944"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}