Mitch Marner’s ability to weave through traffic was arguably his most exciting quality as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Marner is the fifth-leading scorer in Leafs history for good reason, and he put on a show against the Edmonton Oilers on the road, in one of the best games of the NHL calendar.
Toronto held a 3-1 lead early in the third period, but against an Edmonton team with two Hart Trophy winners, no lead is ever really safe. During the first shift of the final frame, the Maple Leafs executed a passing clinic. Chris Tanev fished the puck out from behind the net and fired it up the wall. Marner fended off an Oilers defenders and tipped the puck back to Auston Matthews to facilitate the exit. Matthews fired it to Jake McCabe, who one-touched it across the ice to Matthew Knies. Knies surveyed the ice and found Matthews, who dropped it to an oncoming Marner and the rest becomes art.
Marner evaded stick-checks from Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman, while Brett Kulak weakly pried at the puck to no avail. Continuing his drive to the net, Marner got a shot off, and the rebound ricocheted off his skate and in. It happened so quickly that there’s an illusory effect of Marner dangling Stuart Skinner: in simpler terms, Marner’s goal looked really cool and aesthetic value certainly matters, at least for this series.
This game is best remembered for Joseph Woll’s heroics, as he preserved a 4-3 lead in the final minutes, robbing Corey Perry at the buzzer. Marner’s goal stood as the game-winner against an Oilers team that maintained a high-octane pace throughout the game. The 28-year-old is now a member of the Vegas Golden Knights, where he could torment the Oilers on a habitual basis for the foreseeable future. During his final season with the Leafs, Marner routinely put the Oilers on his highlight tape.