Kadri headlines Leafs' 3-2 OT win over Oilers
John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
Nazem Kadri got the game-winning goal for the Toronto Maple Leafs as they overcame the Edmonton Oilers 3-2 in Overtime at the Air Canada Centre.
Kadri earned 2 goals in a game where he was tasked with containing the Oilers' young star, and captain, Connor McDavid.
The London, Ontario native had arguably his best game in recent memory and managed to keep McDavid pegged all night, making him uncomfortable with numerous taps and shoves to keep him from breaking free.
The physical style of Kadri helped him to score the game-winning-goal after a handful of seconds into OT, with him also picking up the first goal of the game thanks to a nice feed from line-mate Connor Brown.
With the speedy McDavid unable to get much space, the Leafs were able to fight a hard game against a physical Oilers team.
As well as Kadri's excellent performance, came the much-anticipated return of Nikita Soshnikov.
Soshnikov suffered an injury during the Marlies' playoff run and spent the start of this season back in the AHL, scoring 3 points in 6 games.
Playing on the 4th line with Matt Martin and Ben Smith, Soshnikov was full of energy all night and provided a beautiful pass to set up Ben Smith's goal, giving the Leafs a 2-1 lead in the second period.
The Leafs were noticeably different in this game compared to their recent 5-1 loss to the Islanders, with more energy after having a day to rest.
The team also had solid goaltending from starter Frederik Andersen, who faced 46 shots and saved 44 of them for .957 save percentage.
The team looked much more assured on the blueline and must continue this in the coming weeks, giving their goaltender more confidence to make plays and provide the team with the quality they are expecting from a $5 million a year goalie.
All-in-all, this was a good home win for the Leafs who are now 3-4-3 on the season and are showing signs of what they can be capable of.
Time for the Leafs to turn their attentions to Thursday night, where the team will travel to the Buffalo Sabres and will be looking to earn their first back-to-back victory.
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