Mitch Marner’s overtime winner leads Maple Leafs to 4-3 victory over Oilers (Source: Imagn)

The Toronto Maple Leafs won 4-3 against the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday at Scotiabank Arena. Mitch Marner scored the overtime winner just 40 seconds into the extra period.

Marner created a 2-on-1 with John Tavares and beat Stuart Skinner with a shot. After the game, Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube discussed Marner’s tendency to pass instead of shoot. He highlighted how important it was for Marner to take the shot in that moment.

A reporter asked Berube if Marner should shoot more, given his playmaking skills. The coach agreed, pointing out Marner’s strong vision and ability to create plays.

“We always talk about shooting more pucks and which guys can shoot more, but I mean, he is a heck of a playmaker. He can make plays, so I understand why he doesn’t shoot more at times. When he has the opportunities in good spots, he should shoot, for sure,” Berube said (via mapleleafshotstove).

Mitch Marner’s shooting has decreased in recent seasons. In 2021-22, he had 224 shots with a 15.6% shooting percentage. In 2022-23, he took 196 shots at 15.3%.

Last season, he had 158 shots with a 16.5% shooting percentage. This season, Marner has 50 shots with a 12.0% shooting percentage. This drop shows that Marner is focusing more on passing and setting up plays for his teammates instead of taking shots himself.

In the game, Bobby McMann scored twice for the Maple Leafs and Anthony Stolarz made 27 saves. For the Oilers, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl each had a goal and an assist, but it wasn’t enough to extend their winning streak to four games. The victory gave the Maple Leafs their second consecutive win.

The Toronto Maple Leafs’ are on to winning ways in recent games

The Toronto Maple Leafs have performed well recently in the 2024-25 NHL season. Their record is 11-6-2, placing them second in the Atlantic Division. The Florida Panthers lead the division, while the Tampa Bay Lightning are third. Toronto has improved significantly in their last six games, winning five and losing only one.

They defeated the Edmonton Oilers 4-3 in overtime, the Montreal Canadiens 4-1, the Detroit Red Wings 3-1, the Boston Bruins 4-0, and the Washington Capitals 4-3 in overtime. Their only loss in this stretch was a 3-0 loss to the Ottawa Senators. Over their last ten games, Toronto has a 7-2-1 record.

William Nylander leads the team in goals with 12, while Mitch Marner is their top playmaker with 18 assists and 24 points. The Leafs also rank sixth in penalty-kill percentage at 84.8%.

The Leafs are scoring an average of 3.00 goals per game while allowing 2.61. Their special teams have been steady, with a 20.3% power play success rate. They have improved their power play statistics in the recent five wins and that too with their captain, Auston Matthews, out of the lineup.

The Leafs made it to the playoffs last year but lost to the Bruins. Now they want to make a deep playoff run under new head coach Craig Berube.