The Edmonton Oilers, fresh off a hat-trick heroics from Zach Hyman in a road rout of Detroit, open a grueling five-game Eastern swing against the Toronto Maple Leafs in a Saturday night showcase at Scotiabank Arena. This star-studded inter-division clash—featuring Connor McDavid’s Oilers chasing a playoff push against Auston Matthews’ high-octane Leafs—carries extra sizzle with Edmonton’s recent crease overhaul via trades with Pittsburgh and Nashville. Toronto’s blue line is battered, but their home resilience and power-play bite (14.5%, league average) could counter Edmonton’s elite man-advantage (32.1%, 1st). Injuries loom large on both sides, setting up a potential goal-fest where transition speed and goaltending volatility decide a pivotal December duel.
Game Information
Puckdrop: 7:00 p.m. ET (puck drop)
Venue: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Ontario (capacity: 18,800; home of the Maple Leafs since 1999)
Broadcast: ESPN+, Sportsnet, Hockey Night in Canada, CBC
Series Context: Third meeting of the 2025-26 season (Leafs lead 1-1 after 5-1 TOR win on Nov. 17 and 4-3 EDM OT win on Feb. 2); teams split last year’s series 2-2.
Injury Report
Edmonton’s depth takes hits amid the trade frenzy, with LTIR stints thinning the back end. Toronto’s defense is in crisis mode, forcing recalls and lineup scrambles—Ekman-Larsson’s status is the game-time wildcard.
| Team | Player | Position | Status | Injury/Details | Estimated Return |
| Oilers | Jake Walman | D | Out (LTIR) | Lower Body | Indefinite (worse than expected; “a while,” per Knoblauch; IR since Dec. 11) |
| Oilers | Jack Roslovic | F | Out | Undisclosed | Dec. 25 (IR since Dec. 11; around Christmas) |
| Oilers | Connor Clattenburg | F | Out | Undisclosed | Indefinite (IR since Dec. 11) |
| Oilers | Kasperi Kapanen | F | Out (LTIR) | Undisclosed | Dec. 25 (around Christmas) |
| Oilers | Noah Philp | F | Out | Undisclosed | Dec. 20 (practicing; “another week at earliest”) |
| Leafs | Oliver Ekman-Larsson | D | Questionable | Lower Body | Game-time (better than initial fears; testing Saturday after leaving vs. SJS Dec. 11) |
| Leafs | Dakota Mermis | D | Out | Lower Body | Jan. 13 (IR retro to Dec. 8; at least a month) |
| Leafs | Chris Tanev | D | Out | Undisclosed | Indefinite (shelved for significant time) |
| Leafs | Brandon Carlo | D | Out | Lower Body | Indefinite (surgery; out indefinitely) |
| Leafs | Joseph Woll | G | Out | Undisclosed | Indefinite (not expected vs. EDM) |
Edmonton’s new goalie Tristan Jarry debuts post-trade, easing Stuart Skinner’s workload (3.39 GAA). Toronto recalls Henry Thrun; Hildeby’s .933 SV% shines, but D-corps leaks (3.17 GA/G).
Key Player Matchups
Projected lines from morning skates reflect Oilers’ trade tweaks (new additions integrated) and Leafs’ injury shuffles (Ekman-Larsson GTD; Thrun in if needed). McDavid vs. Rielly headlines a battle of elite rush vs. puck-movement.
Oilers Top Line (Nugent-Hopkins – McDavid – Hyman) vs. Leafs Top Line (Knies – Tavares – Nylander): Connor McDavid (16G, 48P in 31GP) erupts with 4A in the DET win, pacing NHL with 32A; Hyman’s hat trick (6th career) adds net-front menace. They face William Nylander (11G, 34P), Toronto’s assist king (23A), and John Tavares (13G, 30P). Edge: Oilers’ speed overwhelms Tavares’ faceoff wins (52.1%).
Oilers Second Line (Podkolzin – Draisaitl – Savoie) vs. Leafs Second Line (McMann – Domi – Robertson): Leon Draisaitl (17G, 40P) thrives post-trade, with 5P in last 3; Alex Savoie adds rookie pop. Toronto’s Max Domi (checking energy) and Nick Robertson (sniper) counter, but line lacks punch sans Barzal-like creator. Edge: Oilers’ scoring depth.
Goalie Duel: Tristan Jarry (Oilers) vs. Dennis Hildeby (Leafs): Jarry (acquired Friday; 2.66 GAA pre-trade) stabilizes vs. TOR’s shot barrage (30.2/game); debut nerves in hostile rink. Hildeby (2-2-3, 2.25 GAA, .933 SV%) owns 2 straight quality starts. Edge: Hildeby at home, but Oilers’ PP tests (.821 PK for TOR).
Special teams: Oilers PP (32.1%, 1st) feasts on Leafs PK (82.1%, 15th); TOR PP (14.5%) middling vs. EDM’s 80.2% kill.
Team Records and Standings
Edmonton Oilers: 14-11-6 (34 points, 4th in Pacific Division; 6-8-3 on road). Advanced stats: 4th in GF/G (3.32), 25th in GA/G (3.39), -0.07 diff (18th).
Toronto Maple Leafs: 14-11-5 (33 points, 5th in Atlantic Division; 9-4-5 at home). Advanced stats: 6th in GF/G (3.30), 18th in GA/G (3.17), +0.13 diff (14th).
Edmonton’s road OT woes (1-4) clash with Toronto’s home dominance (7-2-1 last 10).
Recent Team Forms
Edmonton builds momentum after a 4-1 road win over Detroit on Dec. 11 (Hyman 3G, McDavid 4A; outshot DET 29-28, 1/2 PP). Prior: 4-3 OT L at BUF (Dec. 9; Skinner .851 SV%), 6-2 W vs. WPG (Dec. 6), 9-4 W vs. SEA (Dec. 4), 1-0 L vs. MIN (Dec. 2). Last 10: 6-3-1 (3.5 GF/G, 3.1 GA/G), with 3 straight road points—trades inject fresh legs.
Toronto’s form dips after a 3-2 OT home loss to San Jose on Dec. 11 (Wennberg GWG; outshot 32-28, dominant 2nd but gassed in OT). Before: 2-0 W vs. TBL (Dec. 8; shutout), 2-1 SO L vs. MTL (Dec. 6), 5-1 W vs. CAR (Dec. 4), 4-1 W vs. FLA (Dec. 2). Last 10: 7-2-1 (3.2 GF/G, 2.8 GA/G), but 0-2 in OT/SO last 3—D injuries expose late fades.
| Last 5 Games | Oilers Record | Key Stat | Leafs Record | Key Stat |
| vs. DET (Dec 11) | W 4-1 | 29 SOG, Hyman hat trick | vs. SJS (Dec 11) | L 2-3 (OT) |
| @ BUF (Dec 9) | L 3-4 (OT) | 32 SOG, 1/4 PP | vs. TBL (Dec 8) | W 2-0 |
| vs. WPG (Dec 6) | W 6-2 | 35 SOG, Draisaitl 2G | vs. MTL (Dec 6) | L 1-2 (SO) |
| vs. SEA (Dec 4) | W 9-4 | 42 SOG, McDavid 3A | vs. CAR (Dec 4) | W 5-1 |
| vs. MIN (Dec 2) | L 0-1 | 24 SOG, shutout | vs. FLA (Dec 2) | W 4-1 |
Series History
Since 1979, Toronto holds a 64-49-8 edge in regular-season meetings (121 games, avg. 6.1 goals). Leafs dominate lately: 6-2-0 since 2021-22, including 5-1 home win Nov. 17, 2025. Last 10: TOR 7-3-0, with overs 6-4 (high-scoring trend: 6.8 goals avg.). At Scotiabank: Leafs 35-20-2 all-time vs. EDM. Playoffs: None since 1993.
Betting Trends
Puck Line: Oilers -1.5 (+210); Leafs +1.5 (-258). Leafs 6-4 ATS last 10 home.
Total: 6.5 (Over -110 / Under -110). Overs 7-3 in H2H last 10; 6-4 in EDM road games.
Trends: Oilers 4-2 SU last 6; Leafs 0-3 SU after OT losses. Public: 55% on Over 6.5. Sharp: Oilers ML (line firmed); underdogs 6-0 in TOR’s last 6.
Game Odds
Edmonton Oilers 6.5
Toronto Maple Leafs – 110
Odds Courtesy of Sports Odds Direct as of Friday, December 12, 2025
