Maple Leafs 4, Oilers 3 (OT)
MAPLE LEAFS 4, OILERS 3 (OT): Tim Connolly ended a lengthy goal drought 1:39 into overtime as Toronto ended a five-game losing skid with a thrilling victory in Edmonton.
After the Maple Leafs took advantage of a Magnus Paajarvi turnover to break out on a 3-on-1, Connolly finished off the play by beating Edmonton netminder Nikolai Khabibulin for his first goal since Jan. 5.
Edmonton has dropped three of four.
With the score tied 2-2 after 40 minutes, Toronto blueliner Jake Gardiner gave his club the lead with a blistering shot that eluded Khabibulin 6:46 into the third frame.
Edmonton pressed for the equalizer and was finally rewarded with 4:04 left in regulation, as Jordan Eberle wired a shot from the slot high past Toronto goaltender James Reimer.
The Maple Leafs struck quickly, opening up a 2-0 lead before the game was 100 seconds old. Joffrey Lupul opened the scoring 40 seconds into the contest, and Matthew Lombardi doubled the advantage after taking a Cody Franson pass and bursting in and beating Khabibulin between the pads.
Ben Eager closed the gap less than a minute later, and Taylor Hall evened things with the only goal of the second period. The second-year forward streaked down the middle of the ice and redirected a Sam Gagner feed past Reimer for his 20th goal of the season.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Hall reached the 20-goal plateau Feb. 19 last season, but finished with just 22 goals after suffering a season-ending ankle injury. ... The Oilers have surrendered three or more goals in six consecutive games but have a winning record in that span (3-2-1). ... Connolly has just two goals since Dec. 13.