Bouchard gaffe, third-period meltdown, and more: 3 reasons why Edmonton Oilers lost 4-3 in OT against Toronto Maple Leafs

The Edmonton Oilers dropped a gut-wrenching 4-3 overtime decision against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night at the Scotiabank Arena.

The Oilers managed a point after blowing a 2-1 third-period lead. They tied the game late but lost in overtime. Mitch Marner got the game-winner for Toronto, with Bobby McMann scoring twice and Matthew Knies adding the other for the Leafs. Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Adam Henrique scored for the Oilers.

So, let’s look at the three reasons why the Edmonton Oilers lost to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night.

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Three reasons why the Edmonton Oilers lost to the Toronto Maple Leafs

#3 Third-period meltdown

A recurring trend emerged on Saturday night. The Oilers couldn’t hold a third-period lead despite being up for most of the game. In fact, McDavid’s power play goal at 1:51 of the second period stood until the Edmonton Oilers broke down.

Edmonton gave up two goals roughly a minute apart to flip the game around. Down 2-1, the Leafs took a 3-2 lead until Draisaitl salvaged a point for the Oilers. However, the Oilers lost most of the momentum they held throughout the game.

#2 Bouchard’s costly blunder

The third-period meltdown began with Evan Bouchard's careless giveaway in his own zone. Bouchard tried to clear the puck, firing it up the middle, where Matthew Knies intercepted the puck. Knies walked into the Edmonton Oilers’ zone and fired a quick shot by a surprised Stuart Skinner.

The play happened so fast that Skinner had little time to react. In fact, none of the other Oilers on the ice, including Bouchard, could do anything about the play.

The costly blunder opened the floodgates, as less than a minute later, Bobby McMann picked up a loose puck that floated down the ice. McMann torched Mattias Ekholm, beating him to the puck and deking Skinner for a highlight-reel goal.

The two defensive miscues underscored how the Oilers tend to phase out during games, leading to costly turnovers, like the Bouchard blunder.

#1 The power play failed

To be fair, the Edmonton Oilers went 1-for-2 on the power play. But it was the five-minute major where the Oilers didn’t score, which made the difference in the game.

The Oilers got a five-minute power play following Ryan Reaves’ game misconduct for a hard bodycheck on Darnell Nurse. Despite the Oilers’ pressure, they couldn’t convert during the sequence.

The penalty kill was a major turning point for the Leafs, who would play well the rest of the second period before taking advantage of the Oilers’ meltdown in the third period.

The Oilers will have a short break before taking on the Montreal Canadiens on Monday night at the Bell Centre.