Devon Levi earned his first NHL shutout in his 50th career NHL game
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Deep six-ed in the 416, the Maple Leafs have endured hearing a half dozen celebratory songs from down the hall in this horrid home stand.
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After the Minnesota Wild blasted out Funkytown on Thursday, the Edmonton Oilers pressed play on the Beatles’ Hey Jude after a 1-0 win that marked the first time in franchise history Toronto had dropped all six on the same residency.
What advice does Mike Babcock have for Jim Hiller?
On that note, Edmonton coach Mike Babcock urged his one-time assistant Jim Hiller to take a sad song and make it better.
“All you’ve got to do is get up tomorrow, not read anything, get on with his life and make the decisions he knows that are right,” Babcock said. “Jim’s a really good coach, a good man and he’ll find his way through it. You have to keep grinding. But the league is not kind to anybody, probably on coaches the least.”
The result Saturday came three weeks to the day in Edmonton that Hiller and company last experienced the exhilaration of a big win, slamming the Oilers 7-2. Since then, eight losses in nine games have put them back in the basement of the Atlantic Division, a far cry from general manager John Chayka’s assertion he could change half the roster and rebuild on the fly.
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How did this home stretch go south?
The home stand began with a 3-2 loss to Utah when William Nylander’s last-gasp shot for a tie went five-hole off the post. The quality of opponent went up from there, as did the losses. Colorado, which the Leafs had also beaten on the road, avenged that, while the Montreal Canadiens, their ancient rival, sank them with the SBA teeming with fans of the Habs. Another former Toronto coach, Sheldon Keefe, enjoyed a win behind New Jersey’s bench.
Enter Babcock, who didn’t expect any scoreboard recognition after seven years in NHL exile, but earned a season series split with his former Red Wings assistant.
“We talk, I don’t know if it’s every day or every month, but we have a good relationship,” Hiller said before the game. “Babs gave me my chance when I was in junior in the WHL. I hadn’t met with him before I interviewed with him and I’ll always remember (kick starting Hiller’s pro coaching career). I’m not surprised his team has done so well.”
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While Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews are usually good for a couple of points each when these sides meet, this was the first 1-0 result between the clubs since Dec. 10, 2017. That was the night Leaf-turned-Oiler Zach Hyman’s opening-minute goal stood up.
What’s made McDavid’s record run so special?
The Leafs held the magic McDavid to one assist in his only hometown appearance of the season, despite some crowd-pleasing rushes. But it was a milestone 50th point, at least one in all 21 games. He joins Wayne Gretzky, Mike Bossy, Mario Lemieux and Bernie Nicholls in getting halfway to 100 so soon.
“Look at the rinks where he plays and they’re full, I see McDavid jerseys all over the place,” Babcock said. “To understand how committed, how talented, how hard you have to work and how special you have to be, that’s another level. Being a superstar is one thing, being in that next level is something else.”
In head-to-head team wins and losses against McDavid, Matthews’ Leafs still lead 15-6-2 to 8-13-2, but McDavid is now up in points 35 to 24 after Saturday. More importantly for McDavid, his perennial playoff bridesmaids slogged out a tight win after defence and goaltending have hurt chances through the years.
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How has Edmonton’s goaltending improved?
Devon Levi earned his first NHL shutout in his 50th career NHL game after joining the Oilers from Buffalo as a depth move before Frederik Andersen got hurt and he took full advantage of the promotion.
“We really locked it down in the third period (just five Toronto shots), a textbook win right there,” the Quebec-born Levi said. “I love the culture in Edmonton.”
Known for taking a Zen moment with breathing exercises when there’s a timeout, Levi did exactly that during an agonizingly long video review of John Tavares’s deflection goal. The goal eventually was negated after a ruling that the puck was hit with a high stick.
“I knew it, there’s no way a puck should be going over my head like that,” Levi said. “I was surprised (the review) took so long, but I had a pretty good feeling. I didn’t really care if it was a goal or not, just keep my mind on the next shot.”
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