Oilers win team record 11th straight, rally to beat skidding Maple Leafs 4 2

Ryan McLeod had a goal and an assist as the Edmonton Oilers rallied past the slumping Toronto Maple Leafs 4 2 on Tuesday night for their franchise record 11th consecutive victory. Leon Draisaitl, Derek Ryan and Evan Bouchard also scored for the Oilers (24 15 1), who are 19 3 0 in their last 22 games.

Stuart Skinner made 25 saves. Auston Matthews and Morgan Rielly each had a goal for the Maple Leafs (21 13 8), who have lost four straight. Toronto got off to a terrific start, scoring on its first shift just 27 seconds in. Mitch Marner sent a pass to Matthews, who rifled in his NHL leading 34th goal of the season before Skinner could get across the crease.

The Maple Leafs almost added to that lead just over a minute later as Tyler Bertuzzi redirected a shot that rang off the post. Toronto had another great chance early in the second as William Nylander was sent in on a breakaway, but Skinner got a piece of his shot with his glove and it caromed off the crossbar.

With nine minutes to play in the period, Rielly picked up a puck that was pinballing in front of the net and sent it through Skinner’s legs for his seventh goal. Edmonton appeared to get that goal back shortly afterward on a tremendous individual effort by Zach Hyman, but a quick video review determined the Oilers were offside on the play.

They finally got on the board with 4:19 remaining in the second as Draisaitl sent a bad angle backhand on net that somehow found its way past Martin Jones for his 21st goal. Edmonton tied it 2:27 into the third as Ryan took a feed from behind the net by McLeod and fired a one timer for his fourth goal this season and 200th career point.

The Oilers then jumped ahead with 3:05 left as McLeod circled out from behind the net and deposited his eighth of the season past Jones. Connor McDavid picked up an assist to extend his point streak to 11 games. McLeod was back in the lineup after returning from an illness. Bouchard put the game away with a long empty netter that barely inched its way over the goal line.

Jones finished with 28 saves. UP NEXT Maple Leafs: Visit the Calgary Flames on Thursday. Oilers: Host the Seattle Kraken on Thursday. ___ AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl.