Maple Leafs 5, Oilers 1
Peter Holland recorded a goal and an assist while James Reimer came within 2.3 seconds of his first shutout of the season as host Toronto ended its franchise-record 11-game losing streak (0-10-1).
Richard Panik, All-Star Phil Kessel, defenseman Morgan Rielly and Mike Santorelli also scored for the Maple Leafs, who posted their first victory since defeating Columbus on Jan. 9. Blue-liner Jake Gardiner notched two assists and Reimer made 31 saves en route to his first win since Dec. 14 against Los Angeles.
Luke Gazdic prevented a second straight shutout loss for the Oilers, who began their six-game road trip with their sixth consecutive loss to Toronto. Viktor Fasth turned aside 23 shots for Edmonton, which dropped a 2-0 decision to Pittsburgh on Wednesday.
After a scoreless first period, Toronto got on the board during a power play at 8:56 of the second as Panik beat Fasth with a one-timer from the inner edge of the left faceoff circle. Kessel doubled the lead midway through the session with a wrist shot through a crowd from above the slot.
Rielly made it 3-0 less than three minutes later with a highlight-reel goal, carrying the puck from his own zone and toe-dragging it past a defender in the low slot before firing it into the top right corner of the net. Santorelli continued the onslaught 39 seconds into the third with a shot from the right faceoff dot and Holland lifted a backhander past Fasth during a breakaway at the midway point before Gazdic knocked in a rebound just before time expired.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Reimer had lost each of his previous eight decisions. ... Gazdic's late goal prevented Toronto from having all 18 of its skaters finish with a positive plus/minus rating. ... Edmonton fell to 5-14-7 on the road, with Fasth having registered all five victories. ... The Maple Leafs were without Jonathan Bernier, who was scratched due to an illness. Fellow G Antoine Bibeau was recalled from the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League to serve as Reimer's backup.