McDavid puts on show back home in Toronto despite Oilers falling in OT

TORONTO -- It is never boring when Connor McDavid comes home to play.

Not for him. Not for the fans. And not for the national television audience watching on "Hockey Night in Canada."

Saturday was no different.

A goal and assist in the Edmonton Oilers’ 4-3 overtime loss against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday means the 27-year-old has now accrued 18 points (four goals, 14 assists) in 11 career games at Scotiabank Arena including eight (two goals, six assists) in his past three appearances.

Only this time, it wasn’t enough to lead the Oilers to victory.

It was Edmonton’s first and only regular-season visit to Toronto, and friends and family flocked to the game from his hometown of Newmarket, 35 miles north of Scotiabank Arena. And when the Oilers captain scored a power-play goal at 1:51 of the second period to put Edmonton up 2-1, it appeared that he might have the winner.

Then bad luck -- or, in this case, a bad bounce -- hit.

With the Oilers still nursing their one-goal lead late in the third period, a clearing attempt by Edmonton defenseman Evan Bouchard hit McDavid and went right to Matthew Knies, who snapped in the equalizer at 13:08.

Toronto’s Bobby McMann and Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl then exchanged goals before the Maple Leafs’ Mitch Marner scored to end the game 40 seconds into overtime.

In the end, the turning point ended up being, in the words of Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch, a pass “that went off one of our own players’ backside.”

“Unfortunate,” Knoblauch said.

Such were the crazy 48 hours that he, McDavid and the Oilers had endured.

On Thursday, McDavid had reached the career 1,000-point milestone in the Oilers’ 3-2 overtime victory against the Nashville Predators at Rogers Place in Edmonton. They then flew out of Edmonton to Toronto Friday and managed to get downtown before the thousands upon thousands of so-called “Swifties” who have descended on this city for Taylor Swift’s six-concert run here.

“It was a quick turnaround on the plane (after reaching the milestone) just trying to get to Toronto early to beat all the Taylor Swift traffic,” McDavid said with a chuckle after the Oilers morning skate Saturday. “So, that’s been a quick turnaround.”

Were they successful in avoiding the congestion en route to travelling from Pearson Airport to the team hotel?

“Yeah, we managed to do it,” he said. “At the same time, it’s cool to see the city so excited.”

Not just for Swift, either.

Indeed, it’s always a special night when McDavid comes home.

Just ask the Belleville Senators, Ottawa’s American Hockey League affiliate.

It already was a chaotic scene in downtown Toronto by noon-time Saturday. Fans already were lined up for Swift’s third consecutive show at Rogers Centre, home of the MLB’s Toronto Blue Jays.

Just four blocks away is Scotiabank Arena, where the Senators and Toronto Marlies faced off for an afternoon AHL game before the Maple Leafs and Oilers clashed in the evening.

As the Oilers were going through drills during their morning skate, a number of Belleville players gathered to watch McDavid do his thing, periodically calling out “Wow” at seeing the Edmonton captain dipsy-doodling all over the ice.

Swift, it seems, wasn’t the only marquee name in town on this day. It was McDavid Night in Toronto, one he admitted is always special.

“Of course, of course,” he said. “Saturday night hockey in front of friends and family. Of course it means more.”

The 27-year-old comes honestly by those words.

Consider that during a 1-on-1 sit-down at Erie Insurance Arena on Feb. 8, 2015, McDavid, an 18-year-old forward with the Erie Otters at the time, opened up about what it would be like to play for the Maple Leafs.

“That would be an absolute dream come true,” he said. “It’s pretty crazy to even think about.”

“I’m from Toronto,” he continued. “You have to be a Leafs fan. So, of course, I was. Of course. My dad was a Leafs fan. Every Saturday night watching "Hockey Night in Canada" would be my favorite time.

“I still remember going to my first ever Leafs game. It was a Rangers-Leafs game. The Leafs won 4-1. I don’t remember (which players) were playing or who was scoring. I just remember that when my dad and I would drive down, we always used to joke who could guess the score. And for whatever reason, I picked Leafs to win 4-1. And that’s what happened.

“I’ll remember that forever.”

Unlike the Oilers' heartbreaking loss on Saturday.