The Leafs have won 12 straight offside challenges since 2022.

The Toronto Maple Leafs’ expertise of the offside challenge came through once again on Saturday night as the club preserved a 4-3 win over the Edmonton Oilers.

Leon Draisaitl and the Oilers appeared to tie the game late in the third period, with 2:21 remaining, but the goal was overturned after a video review determined that former Maple Leaf and current Oilers defenseman John Klingberg was offside.

And that is thanks to head coach Craig Berube, who called a timeout. As Berube explained post-game, the Maple Leafs review crew needed extra time to confirm the offside.

Moments later, officials revealed that Klingberg – who was playing in just his second game with Edmonton – had crossed the blue line early, erasing the goal and keeping Toronto ahead.

“Well, we couldn't get quite the angle they wanted, so I called the timeout to give them more time. And they made a great call,” said Berube post-game.

“Just relief, I guess, in a way,” added forward Mitch Marner. “We're watching it back and it kind of looked like it was going to be offside. So, from that point on, you're just trying to plan what you got to do to make sure that doesn't happen again. It's very hard to defend that team when they have a man advantage. So, I thought we did a good job there in the last two minutes.”

The overturned goal marked Toronto’s 12th consecutive successful offside challenge dating back to 2022. It came at a much-needed time as the team was playing conservative, trying to conserve their one-goal lead.

“I mean, either way, we're going to play the rest of this game hard, and we're hoping, obviously, that it was offside, and luckily it was, and trusting our video coaches to make that call,” said Bobby McMann, who scored his fifth goal in his fourth career game against Edmonton.

The moment was particularly notable given Klingberg’s ties to the Maple Leafs organization.

The 11-year veteran defenseman played 14 games for the clubs in 2023 before undergoing hip resurfacing surgery. He made his return to game action on January 30 with the Oilers after signing a one-year, $1 million deal (and $350,000 in bonuses) on January 17. Before his injury, Klingberg registered five assists with the Leafs after signing a one-year, $4.15 million contract last summer.

Toronto was reportedly among the teams interested in bringing him back this season, though he ultimately chose Edmonton, a team that has become a frequent landing spot for former Leafs players over the years. 

Appearing in two games with the Oilers thus far, Klingberg has yet to register a point, posting a minus-one rating while averaging 18:43 of time on the ice.

As for the Leafs, the club snapped a three-game losing skid while improving to 12-3-2 against Edmonton in their last 17 games. Despite being outshot 48-28 in the contest, Toronto found a way to close out the game, relying on the strong play of goaltender Joseph Woll and the resilience of their blueliners, playing down a man.

“We battled at the end. Again, our goalie was really good. And we were down to five D,” said Berube. “I thought our D battled hard tonight with five D. That’s not easy.”

Stay updated with the most interesting Maple Leafs stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News to never miss a story.