The Maple Leafs host the Edmonton Oilers at Scotiabank Arena on Saturday night.
The Edmonton Oilers will start Tristan Jarry in goal against the Maple Leafs tonight.
Jarry was acquired on Friday in a trade from Pittsburgh. Goalie Stuart Skinner and defenceman Brett Kulak headed to the Penguins in the deal.
The 30-year-old Jarry arrived in Toronto late last night along with blueliner Spencer Stastney, who the Oilers acquired from the Nashville Predators.
“Just a lot of emotions having played in Pittsburgh for a long time,” Jarry told reporters in Toronto on Saturday morning. “Grateful for my time there, I couldn’t have asked for anything better. I have a very good opportunity here and to be part of that is going to be special.”
“Obviously a sad day to see those two guys go,” said Connor McDavid. “That being said, excited to bring [Jarry] and Spencer in. Two guys who have played well this year. I think they can help.”
Jarry is 9-3-1 with a 2.66 goals-against and a .909 save percentage this season.
“Looking at his track record over the years he has shown he has been very solid,” said coach Kris Knoblauch. “We feel we are getting better in that area.”
Jarry knows playing in a hockey-mad market like Edmonton won’t be easy.
“I am fully embracing it,” said Jarry, who calls Edmonton home. “It is going to be a fun challenge.”
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Oliver Ekman-Larsson has proven to be a quick healer and will be in the lineup against the Oilers tonight.
On Thursday against the Sharks, Ekman-Larsson took a hard spill against the end boards and had to be helped off the ice. It initially appeared he suffered a serious lower-body injury and would miss significant time.
“It happened so quick and the guy fell and obviously he didn’t mean to do that,” said Ekman-Larsson on Saturday. “I was lucky to get out of it pretty quick. It’s crazy how much it could change in a day, day and a half. I’m lucky.”
The 35-year-old Ekman-Larsson has been a key contributor to the Maple Leafs blueline with 20 points in 30 games.
“Good news,” said coach Craig Berube, who has seen defencemen Chris Tanev and Brandon Carlo miss time already this season. “We weren’t sure yesterday, but he feels good and ready to go which is great.”
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William Nylander and Dakota Joshua did not take part in the morning skate as both players are dealing with illness.
They are both game-time decisions, according to Berube.
“Guys will be ready to go,” said Berube. “They know it is a good opportunity for them.”
Based on the morning skate, one of the players who could play is Matias Maccelli. He has been a healthy scratch for the past six games. His last game was in Washington on Nov. 28.
Maccelli skated with Nicholas Roy and Bobby McMann, filling in for Joshua.
Joshua has found his game after a sluggish start, picking up three goals and one assist in his past six games.
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Leafs defenceman Troy Stecher is looking forward to facing his former team tonight.
Stecher spent parts of the past three seasons in Edmonton before he was placed on waivers and claimed by the Maple Leafs. The 31-year-old has played well in Toronto, scoring a goal and adding three assists in 10 games. Over the past five games, he’s logging more than 23 minutes of ice time.
“I’m going to be a little extra motivated tonight playing against my old team,” said Stecher. “A lot of good memories making the Cup final two years in a row. But when you go through experiences like that, you create a lasting impression and a lasting bond. I have a lot of friends over there that I will have for life.”
“As a kid you want to play in the NHL and win a Stanley Cup,” Stecher added. “I had an opportunity two years to do that. It’s everything you want as an individual. Very fond memories over there.”
“Great teammate,” McDavid said of Stecher. “That’s the biggest thing, he’s an unbelievable teammate. Does whatever is asked of him. Great to see him come here and have such a big role [in Toronto].”
“We’ve had a lot of respect for him, and it was hard to see him go,” Knoblauch said. “But, with our situation trying to get younger, with having some younger players in our lineup … we didn’t really have a place for him. And unfortunately, he was the odd guy out.”
“He’s been great,” said Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews. “He stepped in right away and he has gotten really comfortable. He is a professional and handles his business. He has been great in the locker room. It’s not easy switching teams but I think he has handled it really well. He has played some hard minutes, tough matchups. I think he really embraces that. He’s been really good for us.”
“I know what I am going to get shift-to-shift,” said Berube. “He skates and competes and makes the simple play with the puck. He’s been pretty solid all around.”
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McDavid was asked about the much talked about smaller ice surface in Milan for the upcoming Olympic Games.
“I don’t care,” said McDavid. “Not a big deal. Obviously, you want the ice to be good, you’d like the ice quality to be good. The size of it doesn’t matter.”
The arena for the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics has become a story in recent weeks, with the news that the ice surface would be more than three feet shorter than the NHL standard.
“I’m excited, I think everybody is,” said McDavid, who is set to play in his first Olympic Games. “It’s in the back of everyone’s mind that is going. You’ve seen guys get off to great starts, pushing for spots all across the league. It’s been fun to watch.”
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Tonight’s game will be the 20th time McDavid and Matthews have gone head-to-head in the NHL. The Maple Leafs captain has a record of 13-4-2 against McDavid (6-11-2) and the Oilers.
On the score sheet, McDavid is ahead (eight goals, 21 assists for 29 points) of Matthews (13 goals, nine assists for 22 points).
“These are the games you want to get up for,” said Matthews. “It’s always a challenge but everybody in this locker room embraces it.”
Matthews and McDavid have become two of the faces of the NHL in recent years, even appearing in commercials together.
“We played together in the World Cup in 2016, and over the years have gotten to know each other a little bit better,” added Matthews. “I have a ton of respect for him. The kind of person he is, the kind of player and leader he is. He is obviously a special player and a guy I have a ton of respect for.”
“He’s a guy I have gotten to know better and better over the course of our careers,” said McDavid. “We share the same agent and have spent a little bit of time together.”
“The way he shoots the puck and gets open, he doesn’t need much room. It’s really impressive.”
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Maple Leafs lines based on morning skate:
Knies-Matthews-Domi
Robertson-Tavares-Cowan
Maccelli-Roy-McMann
Lorentz-Laughton-Jarnkrok
McCabe-Stecher
Rielly-Ekman-Larsson
Benoit-Thrun
Hildeby
Akhytamov
Woll
*Nylander, Joshua absent (illness)
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Oilers lines based on morning skate
Nugent-Hopkins – McDavid – Hyman
Podkolzin – Draisaitl – Savoie
Frederic – Henrique – Janmark
Mangiapane – Lazar – Tomasek
Ekholm – Bouchard
Nurse – Regula
Stastney – Emberson
Jarry
Pickard
