The Oilers came oh-so-close to a comeback, but ultimately lost 4-3 to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

You need to be in control to win hockey games.

The Oilers weren't in control of the most important parts of Saturday's 4-3 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. They weren't in control in the first period, they couldn't control the opposing goalie, and they certainly couldn't control the crowd. Add on the fact that you can never control the rules or the officiating, and you've got another disappointing loss.

The Oilers' biggest problem was that they dug themselves into an early hole. Noted Oiler killer William Nylander (19 goals in 25 career games against Edmonton) snuck one past Stuart Skinner six minutes into the first, and then the wheels came off.

The Maple Leafs followed that up with powerplay goals from Matthew Knies and Bobby McMann, giving them a 3-0 lead they would carry to the end of the period. With Mattias Ekholm out due to illness, the Oilers' penalty kill had no answer for the Leafs.

It was at this point that the "Skin-ner" chants started raining down from the heavy Maple Leafs contingent of the Rogers Place crowd, adding insult to injury in a miserable first period.

But the Oilers regained control in the second, outshooting Toronto 18-5 in the middle frame and clawing back one goal thanks to Evan Bouchard. Bouchard was a beast in the final 40 following a lacklustre first period, ending the game with one goal, one assist, and 8 shots in 27 minutes of ice time.

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The Oilers then followed up on their dominant second period by allowing Toronto's Mitch Marner to waltz through their defence to make it a 4-1 game, thus ceding control once again. Edmonton would now need a comeback of monumental proportions to win this game.

They almost had it. Goals from Zach Hyman and Corey Perry brought the Oilers within one before Leon Draisaitl beat Joseph Woll with his patented one-timer to tie the game with only two minutes remaining.

Except Toronto challenged the play for offside. And won it. Just like that, all the air was sucked out of Rogers Place and the Oilers were back down 4-3.

They still almost pulled it off. They threw everything they had at Woll for the final two minutes, including an Evan Bouchard long bomb that dinged off the crossbar. Joseph Woll finally robbed Corey Perry at the final buzzer to cap off a scintillating 45-save performance and clinch a huge 4-3 win for Toronto.

In the end, the Oilers were undone by a horrible first period and excellent goaltending from Woll. It's gonna be hard to win whenever you spot the opposing team a 3-0 lead, and even then they almost found a way to pull it out. For the second consecutive game, the Oilers lose despite putting nearly 50 shots on net. Them's the breaks.

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Saturday's loss to Toronto caps off an extended home stretch for the Oilers, as they now hit the road for two games before returning home to play Colorado before the 4 Nations Face-Off. Their next game will be on Tuesday against the St. Louis Blues.

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