NHL analyst reveals the 'chaos' ahead of Maple Leafs vs Oilers game during Taylor Swift's Eras Tour in Toronto 

By Ankit Kumar

Modified Nov 18, 2024 15:50 GMT

The Toronto Maple Leafs’ game against the Edmonton Oilers in Toronto on Saturday was surrounded by chaos. Taylor Swift’s "Eras Tour" brought massive crowds downtown, with her third concert at Rogers Centre. Fans for the concert, hockey games and the Marlies’ afternoon match all packed Union Station, creating a hectic atmosphere.

NHL analysts Elliotte Friedman and co-host Kyle Bukauskas discussed the scenes in Toronto on Monday's episode of the "32 Thoughts" podcast.

[18:55] "I take the Up Express from Pearson into downtown, and it was like, as soon as I got on the train there, Friday afternoon, you knew you were entering a Swifty world making your way into Toronto." Bukauskas said (18:55). "So, I took the subway into the game.

"And it was unbelievable, because you had people going to the hockey game, people going to the concert, of course, and the Marley's played in the afternoon at Scotiabank arenas, another crowd of hockey fans leaving from that - it was chaos down at Union Station. But really need to just soak in and take it all for what it was and the game was great."

Playing in his hometown, Connor McDavid had a standout performance as he scored a power-play goal and added an assist. McDavid now has 18 points in 11 career games at Scotiabank Arena.

McDavid had just celebrated his 1,000th career point two days earlier. He and the Oilers flew to Toronto early to avoid Taylor Swift traffic.

"It’s cool to see the city so excited," McDavid said after the game, per NHL.com

Saturday showed how busy Toronto can get when hockey and major events collide. Hockey fans got to enjoy McDavid’s talent and the excitement of the city all at once.

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Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Edmonton Oilers game was an overtime thriller

The Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Edmonton Oilers game was as thrilling as the Taylor Swift concert with an exciting overtime finish.

The Oilers struck first early in the game. Adam Henrique redirected a pass from Mattias Janmark into the net at 1:42. The Maple Leafs quickly tied it at 3:53 when Bobby McMann scored off a rebound from a John Tavares shot.

In the second period, Connor McDavid gave the Oilers a 2-1 lead. He scored on a power play at 1:51, capitalizing on a loose puck near the net. The Oilers then faced a setback when Darnell Nurse left the game after a hit to the head from Ryan Reaves.

The third period brought plenty of action. Matthew Knies tied the game 2-2 at 13:08 with a blocker-side shot after a turnover. Less than a minute later, McMann scored again, beating two defenders to the puck and putting Toronto up 3-2. Leon Draisaitl tied the game at 18:31, scoring during a 6-on-5 advantage.

Overtime was brief but dramatic. Mitch Marner broke up an Oilers rush and raced down the ice with Tavares. Marner scored his 200th career goal just 40 seconds into overtime, giving the Toronto Maple Leafs a 4-3 victory.