‘That’s on Me’: Babcock and Hiller React After Leafs Beat Oilers 7-2

“Jim Hiller had his group playing harder than I had my group, so that’s on me,” Mike Babcock said after the Edmonton Oilers’ 7-2 home loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday.

Across the clubs’ published postgame availabilities, both coaches and seven players addressed the matchup, including Toronto’s depth, the challenge of defending Edmonton’s stars, goaltending and the Oilers’ scoring concerns.

Toronto led 3-1 after two periods. William Nylander’s power-play goal made it 4-1 at 5:59 of the third, and the Maple Leafs finished with goals from six players. Leon Draisaitl scored both Edmonton goals. The final result and scoring sequence are recorded in the official NHL game record.

Babcock puts the responsibility on the whole club

Asked about secondary scoring, Babcock wanted more but rejected blaming the bottom six alone. Toronto’s depth was better, he said, and its whole group was quicker and more competitive.

He welcomed the return of players including Hyman and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, while acknowledging that returning players do not immediately deliver their best. Edmonton had three more players available than a week earlier. Individual efforts he liked did not add up to a satisfactory team performance.

The neutral-zone question brought no area he wanted to praise. Asked about Connor Murphy’s fight, Babcock returned to the coach’s responsibility to prepare the players rather than treating fighting as his department.

He resisted declaring a broader trend, pointing to the competitive Carolina game that preceded this setback. He wanted to sleep before assessing fixes instead of reacting emotionally. He credited Toronto’s preparation, pace and play at both ends.

On Devon Levi’s status, Babcock had no new update, had not asked, and said Levi had not been expected to start.

Babcock’s complete published availability runs 4:11.

Hiller calls it Toronto’s best team game

Hiller said Toronto had built on the Rangers win and, in his assessment, delivered its best team performance of the season. He praised the work without the puck, shot blocking and Stolarz’s saves while acknowledging Edmonton created dangerous looks.

“When we did break down, he was there,” Hiller said of his goaltender.

He connected Jack Roslovic’s adjustment to his relationship with Matthews and praised his growing consistency, citing the Columbus game as the best he had seen Roslovic play.

Hiller praised Stecher’s effort and recent important goals in a larger role after Chris Tanev’s injury. On Easton Cowan’s move alongside Matthews, he liked the talent, consistency and reduction in turnovers, while acknowledging a mistake Saturday.

His penalty-killing assessment emphasized desperation, blocks and players diving for pucks against a difficult power play.

Hiller pointed to Brandon Duhaime and Sammy Blais scoring their first Toronto goals against the Rangers, followed by MacEwen and Vinni Lettieri against Edmonton.

“That, to me, says something about your team. That says you’ve got depth.”

Hiller’s published availability runs 3:32.

Matthews explains the matchup and the four-line contribution

“You can’t, can’t be a one-line team. It’s hard to win,” Matthews said.

He said the challenge demanded everybody’s involvement. Toronto stayed with its game, received strong penalty killing, defense and goaltending, and converted its opportunities.

Asked about his line’s defensive assignment, Matthews acknowledged Edmonton’s elite players would get chances. The aim was to defend hard and limit time and space, with teammates breaking up plays and Stolarz supplying important saves.

“It doesn’t matter who scores, everybody’s excited. Everybody’s happy,” he said of the room.

Matthews described a competitive, enjoyable daily atmosphere, with joking and energy carrying into games and the team coming first.

He praised Cowan’s pass through a defender’s skates for his goal, the younger forward’s increasing strength and speed, his intelligence, defensive responsibility and growing maturity. Matthews said he loved playing with him.

On Stecher’s larger role after Tanev’s absence, Matthews highlighted passion, energy, big plays and goals. Some nights one line might deliver the result, he said, but contributions throughout the lineup were essential.

Matthews’ published interview runs 3:25.

Stolarz wants to stay level-headed

Stolarz’s account of his approach was to “stay level-headed and stay the course.”

Discussing a stop made with his stick, he said skilled opponents would create plays and his task was to keep working to put equipment in the shot’s path.

He did not accept the premise that the Columbus game required a major reset. He thought that outing had been pretty good, followed by a practice in which he worked on a few things.

Stolarz described the variations of a long season and travel, said he felt good Saturday and credited the players in front of him with making his job easier.

Edmonton required preparation for its leading players and particular plays, but he emphasized the familiar rink, puck and need to compete. He called the performance probably Toronto’s most complete of the year and hoped it set a standard.

He learned about the start the previous day and appreciated the opportunity for a meal, rest and a 5 p.m. MDT game.

With young players bringing energy and the group coming together, he said “it’s an exciting time to be, to be a Maple Leaf.”

Stolarz’s published interview runs 2:02.

Stecher connects defensive commitment with offense

Stecher said Toronto executed its game plan with a focused effort throughout the lineup.

Scoring in Edmonton mattered because he had played parts of three seasons there, experienced long playoff runs and retained friendships across the ice.

His minutes had increased after Tanev’s absence, but he said his preparation and goal of helping the team had stayed consistent.

“I’ve always believed in myself,” Stecher said, welcoming the coaching staff’s trust and the chance to make the most of a larger opportunity.

His assessment of Matthews began with defensive commitment, positioning between opponents and the Toronto net, and being hard on pucks.

“A lot of your offense comes from good defense and not playing in your own zone,” Stecher said.

On the penalty kill, he acknowledged the late goal and described the difficulty of preparing for McDavid and Draisaitl’s improvisation. Covering Draisaitl on the goal line by leaving a defender in the corner would open space elsewhere, he explained.

Edmonton would get looks. Stecher credited Stolarz for saves after breakdowns and the group for its work limiting opportunities.

Stecher’s published interview runs 2:13.

MacEwen discusses the atmosphere and proving himself

“I had a lot to prove to myself,” MacEwen said of returning after last season’s knee injury. He also wanted to prove it to others.

He linked his improved play to confidence, preparation and the work invested before the season. Seeing that work produce results was rewarding, but he said “you can’t get comfortable in this league.”

MacEwen described the need to keep proving himself rather than treating a good stretch as permanent security.

On the visiting supporters, he said Toronto’s traveling fans supplied energy and an extra step. Inside the room, he described “the energy in here is infectious,” with players enjoying being together, competing and winning.

Asked whether facing Edmonton’s stars and a team with familiar former teammates added something, MacEwen kept the objective on two points. Toronto needed a plan for McDavid, awareness of who was on the ice and execution of that plan.

He praised Matthews for leading through his play and digging in, saying the rest of the team followed its captain’s example.

MacEwen’s published interview runs 2:04.

Hyman separates the score from the work that creates it

“They were just better than us. They were more competitive. They won more battles,” Hyman said.

Asked about the late score opening up, he said Edmonton had first dug itself a hole. He wanted more competitive play, heavier shifts and consecutive stretches in the offensive zone, rather than treating the final margin as the entire explanation.

Hyman initially referred to Toronto winning special teams, then qualified that answer because Edmonton also scored on the power play. His point was the timing: Toronto’s goal made it 4-1, while Edmonton had missed earlier opportunities to change the game.

“You need to have, all four lines going,” he said when asked about the top line carrying the scoring.

For Hyman, the necessary work came before the finishing totals: more offensive-zone possession, simpler play, getting the puck to the top and putting shots on net. Scoring was the result he wanted from those shifts.

Hyman’s complete published interview runs 1:38.

Kapanen describes the cost of chasing the game

“I don’t think it’s a lack of, effort. It’s just for whatever reason, we’re not able to do it right now,” Kapanen said when asked why the bottom nine had struggled to produce offense.

He did not offer a ready answer for that scoring problem. He said those players were trying and wanted to learn from the defeat.

Kapanen also said Edmonton’s mistakes were being punished. Coming back from three-goal deficits, or from 4-1 down, could not become the way the Oilers expected to play.

The Saturday matchup with Toronto should have been an opportunity to be ready, in his assessment. He called the performance insufficient without wanting to dwell on it indefinitely. Asked whether recent games pointed to a trend, he allowed the possibility but stopped short of claiming he knew what came next.

Kapanen’s complete published interview runs 1:44.

Dach wants the fourth line back to its identity

“They were a better team. They were skating, they were trapping us,” Dach said.

His assessment included his own line. Toronto had outchanced and outscored Edmonton’s fourth line, and Dach said it needed to improve in that part of the game.

Asked what could help the lines behind the Oilers’ leading offensive players, Dach called for simpler play, getting pucks deep and playing hard. His reference point was the line’s established identity, rather than a new system or a promise that production would immediately follow.

He said the Oilers needed to compete more and could not explain why Toronto had outworked them on that stage. He wanted the group to regroup for the next game.

Dach also accepted the responsibility to help the first line. His answer returned to working, reaching the red line, getting the puck in and continuing those habits while looking for better results.

Dach’s complete published interview runs 1:25.

Kapanen’s next target was to “be our best Monday.”

Sources and notes

This report draws on the complete official English caption tracks for the clubs’ nine published October 24 videos: Babcock, Hiller, Matthews, Stolarz, Stecher, MacEwen, Hyman, Kapanen and Dach. Source coverage is the published recordings; Stolarz’s opening answer begins without the preceding question. The original videos are linked with each speaker.