Toronto center Auston Matthews, who entered the game against Edmonton with 33 goals, giving him 332 in 521 NHL games, knew his former teammate Zach Hyman had some goals with 26 goals, putting him on track for 50.
“I’m not really surprised. He’s around the net and he’s one of the toughest runners I’ve ever played,” Matthews said.
“Playing with the player (Connor McDavid) helps, but he has the ability to open up, work and fight to get to the net and take advantage of those opportunities. “
Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.
Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.
Create an account or log in to continue your experience.
You do not have an account? Create an account
Hyman remains an addition to the Oilers after signing the former Leafs winger two-and-a-half years ago.
“Not every free-agent signing works,” McDavid said.
“He’s been above and beyond anyone’s expectations since he got here. Not only on the ice, but also as a leader, he’s in our room. I feel like he’s been an All-Star (this season). “
In fact, McDavid first saw Hyman in the 56-game season (due to Covid) when Hyman was with the Leafs and Toronto swept all 3 games against the Oilers.
“We couldn’t wait for them to leave. I saw how super competitive Zach was and we played a lot against him (line pairing). I didn’t like it very much,” McDavid said.
He keeps watching Hyman get tap-ins at the far post as an Oiler. As Hyman said, it’s like he’s a backboard in a basketball game. “He finds his way there. It takes a lot of courage to stand there with a guy like (Evan) Bouchard shooting,” said McDavid.
And would McDavid ever shoot Hyman in order to profit from it?
“No, I still have to score,” McDavid said.
“But I guess it gives us a little bit more freedom if the record comes in and out of it. We’ve noticed some groups looking at this (standing by the pole). I saw (Leafs John Tavares) coming back there.
OHL news and specialized research by Ryan Pyette.
By subscribing, you agree to the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.
A welcome email is on the way. If you don’t see it, check your spam folder.
Ryan “Pucks” Pyette’s next OHL factor will soon be in your inbox.
We encountered a challenge with their registration. Double-check
McDavid’s former GM Sherry Bassin was in town for the Leafs’ game with some folks who won a trip in his Alzheimer golf tournament back in Ontario.
Did Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch begin his duties on the OHL bench in Erie with the same enthusiasm as he did here (20-6)?
“No way. We couldn’t even win an intra-squad game,” joked Bassin, whose Otters played poorly enough to get McDavid in the OHL junior draft.
Bassin, 84, has seen the Oilers in the depths of depression, losing in San Jose just before Jay Woodcroft was fired, and now catching them on a 10-game winning streak. He’s like a proud grandpa with McDavid and dad with Knoblauch.
“I probably wouldn’t be here (NHL) if Sherry didn’t bring me to Erie,” said Knoblauch, who replaced Robbie Ftorek as Erie’s coach.
“I’m grateful for the time I spent with him. He played a vital role in my coaching career. I owe him a lot. He’s orchestrated the building of some smart hockey groups that I have to coach. It has a smart hub and stores a lot of stories.
Bassin had suffered ahead of the Oilers, Connor Brown, in Erie.
“He’ll be fine. I told him to shoot the puck (more),” said Bassin.
Brown, who didn’t score in his first 32 games, is part of PK’s second unit under Mattias Janmark and has played well in that role.
“He took over our penalty shootout Érié. No liked us conceding goals. What he did well was taken off the ice,” Bassin said.
Oiler goaltender Stuart Skinner, who sees Leon Draisaitl firing away every practice, also sees the league’s leading goal-scorer Matthews in a similar ilk as Draisaitl — both one shot scorers.
“They’re in that direction,” Skinner said.
“Everybody’s noticed how well (Matthews) shoots since he came into the league. He’s a special player. The smart thing for me is that I see it every day in our own team of Léon, de Bouch (Bouchard). “It’s going to be a smart challenge for me,” Skinner said.
Draisaitl and Leafs winger Mitch Marner were rivals on Tuesday, but they filmed a fun TV spot at a lakeside site with former Oiler and Hall of Famer Chris Pronger officiating.
Swedish Leafs winger Pontus Holmberg, who recently moved to the Leafs’ more no-nonsense line with Matthews and Marner, just a third-line midfielder with Vaxjo in Sweden before joining the Leafs, so you never know who makes it and who makes it. it. t.
“I think if he did well there (in the NHL), he could play a fourth-line role. A typical Swede, a very smart player in any way,” said former Oilers player Mike Zanier, a broadcaster in Vaxjo, where Kevin Lowe’s son lives. Keegan plays.
Leafs winger Matthew Knies, a teammate of Tavares and William Nylander, is still comfortable as an NHL rookie, even though he contributed to the playoffs last spring after leaving the University of Minnesota.
“He’s a young player who plays a lot with Matthews, and that’s because he bets a lot and is opposed to the more sensible D-pairs. It’s a challenge. He’s adapting to the pace of the league and halfway through for us (NHL schedule). he’s probably playing as many games, if not more, than he would in a school season,” Toronto coach Sheldon Keefe said.
“College teams also practice a lot (games on weekends), lots of time to refine your game. The NHL doesn’t allow for much of that (82 game schedule).”
McDavid, as we know, grew up as a Leafs fan.
“I played on Curtis Joseph’s son Tristan’s team (when I was seven or eight). It was fun,” said McDavid, who often stopped by the custom-built hockey rink inside Joseph’s farm barn.
Leafs first goaltender Joseph Woll, who sprained his ankle Dec. 7 against Ottawa, is in the West, but as a spectator.
“He’s going to play,” said Keefe, who has him on the ice but works with goalkeeping coach Curtis Sanford and the team. It is waited until the stars break, that is, in early February.
Heading into the Leafs game, the Oilers and their Bakersfield farm combined for 17-0-2 in the last 19 games.
Farm defenseman Phil Kemp, who made his NHL debut in Montreal last Saturday, is the 17th farmworker from Bakersfield to participate in NHL action since 2018.
Oiler Derek Ryan, the Swedish hockey league’s leading scorer in 2014-15 in Orebro, and now former oiler Ty Rattie (Linkoping) leads the SHL in scoring.
Postmedia is committed to maintaining a civilized discussion forum and encourages all readers to share their perspectives on our articles. It can take up to an hour for comments to moderate before appearing on the site. We ask that your feedback be applicable and respectful. We’ve enabled email notifications: you’ll now receive an email if you get a response to your comment, if there’s an update to a comment thread you’re following, or if a user you follow comments. Check out our network rules for more facts and main points on how to adjust your email settings.
365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4
© 2024 Windsor Star, a department of Postmedia Network Inc. All rights reserved. Unauthorized distribution or transmission is strictly prohibited.
This uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads) and allows us to analyze our traffic. Learn more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.