Round one of the Oilers and Maple Leafs was a slog. The Leafs losing on top of that was another decoration on a depressing cake of a game to consume. Even Auston Matthews agrees.

I assume the two guys would be Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaital. And Matthews is right. When the Oilers defence is a shambles and they have Mikko Koskinen starting against a team with elite shooting talent, it should be playing to win and it should be much easier than a long sixty minute grind. For more, check out our recap of last night’s game.

Leafs with a flaccid offence vs. the Oilers their special teams can’t redeem

The fun part is that we get to have a do-over of this game tomorrow, and then again next week, twice. At least there is a break in between with the Flames, which, actually that is an exhausting schedule to cram in two games of Matthew Tkachuk. I have a feeling it’s gonna be a long cold winter here, folks, and it’s going to get darker before it gets sunnier.

Speaking of that, we’ll probably learn more today about what happened to Joe Thornton, but Sheldon Keefe noted after the game that the prognosis was not good, and he almost certainly miss some games.

ICYMI
Here’s what else we wrote about yesterdayTemperature Check: are you hot or cold on the Leafs goalies? - Katya
It’s never too early to have goalie opinions.

NHL to Taxi Squad to AHL Salary Structure and Banking Cap Space - Katya
Who gets paid what, where and why?

Other News

Evander Kane knows the NHL won’t bother fining him since he has no money to pay it.

Remember the Alex Pietrangelo sweepstakes and everyone breathlessly waiting to see if the Toronto boy would sign with the Leafs, even though pretty much everyone knew he had zero intention do so? That seems like so long ago. I even forgot who actually won in the end. He reminded us last night with a first goal with his new team.

Kasperi Kapanen’s Penguins debut was very impressive - PensBurgh
He made a consistent impact on every shift.

The NHL was using remote-controlled pucks to stop the Bruins from scoring - Stanley Cup of Chowder
This explains everything.

It’s 2021 and everyone has progressed past the need for cable television... except the NHL - The Cannon
Paying for cable? In this economy? Literally could not be me.

Now Comes David Quinn’s Real Test As an NHL Coach - Blueshirt Banter
[SPECIES: Maybe we should have appropriate tests for NHL coaches before they get multi-year NHL contracts? Just sayin’.]

Capitals Fined by NHL for Violating COVID Protocols - Japers' Rink
Details are still uncertain on the exact nature of the COVID violations, but the Capitals may lose Kuznetsov, Orlov, Ovechkin, and Samsonov for upcoming games. [SPECIES: Following the fine, and team statement, Alex Ovechkin issued his own statement noting that he will “learn from this experience.” OK, Alex. Maybe he should read the next article.]

Why playing arena hockey can be risky during the pandemic - CBC News
Arena air quality research and a growing understanding of how the virus spreads are helping to explain COVID-19 outbreaks among hockey players.

How boring was last night’s game?

I’d rather watch Star Trek TNG, season one.19
I’d rather watch Star Trek DS9, season one.17
I’d rather watch Star Trek Voyager, season one.12
I’d rather watch Star Trek Enterprise, season one (this is the worst option in the poll, in case you don’t know.)103
From The Branches