Toronto Maple Leafs looking to keep rolling against Oilers

The Toronto Maple Leafs are hoping to keep the momentum going as they square off against the Edmonton Oilers on Monday night.

After securing a 4-0 shutout on Saturday, the Leafs are full of confidence heading into the second of three straight in Edmonton.

Saturday provided a blueprint for the complete game Head Coach Sheldon Keefe wants to see, despite missing their all-world star Auston Matthews.

"“You lose a guy like that, you’re essentially taking a goal away from your lineup,” Keefe said to reporters. “If you’re going to score one less, you’ve got to make sure you give up one less. I think the players recognize that.”"

Matthews is a game-time decision Monday but did practice on Sunday, along with goaltender Frederik Andersen.  Having one or both players back in the lineup would prove to be a boost for the Maple Leafs who are already firing on all cylinders.

Toronto Maple Leafs: Keys to the Game against the Oilers

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There is no doubt that the Leafs would love to replicate the defensive effort from Saturday, where they managed to stifle Oilers’ phenoms Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.

A big key to holding Edmonton’s feared duo at bay was the discipline the Leafs played with, taking exactly zero penalties.  McDavid and Draisaitl cannot terrorize you on the power play if you are not sitting in the penalty box.

You cannot expect the Oilers to stay quiet for too long.  The team ranks fourth in the NHL scoring 3.43 goals per game.

"” We know that Edmonton’s going to have that push and there’s certainly things that we can continue to do better throughout the game and we talked about some of those things here before practice, and then got on the ice and and worked at them.”​ Keefe said to reporters."

Continuing to keep their foot on the gas offensively, with or without Matthews, is vital against a sleeping giant like Edmonton.  Toronto is certainly capable of that, ranking second in the league with 3.55 goals per game.

Mitch Marner (one goal and one assist) and John Tavares (two helpers) picked up the slack on Saturday and will be tasked with keeping up the momentum Monday night.

What do you think will be the keys to the Maple Leafs game against Edmonton on Monday?  How far can the team go this season?  Let us know in the comments below.