John Tavares thought he had tied the game for the Toronto Maple Leafs 1:00 into the third period, but video review disallowed the goal after confirming he deflected the puck with his stick above the crossbar, NHL.com reported.
“You’re just hoping it’s a good goal, felt pretty good about it when it went in and during the (review) process,” Tavares said.
Levi said he expected the goal to be overturned right away.
“I saw the tip and it went over my head, and I thought there’s no way the puck should be going over my head like that,” Levi said. “I knew it was a high stick. I was surprised how long it took to review, so it must have been close, but I had a pretty good feeling.”
The Maple Leafs failed to score over the final 1:48 after pulling goaltender Anthony Stolarz for the extra attacker. Auston Matthews had a chance alone in the slot with four seconds left but shot wide before Ryan Nugent-Hopkins blocked subsequent jam shots from William Nylander.
“I saw Matthews in the slot with the puck and I was like, ‘Bring it on,’” Levi said. “You’ve got to love it. As a goalie, you always want an opportunity to make a key save at a big moment. That’s why I’m there.”
Connor McDavid enters his next game one contest away from tying Dany Heatley for the fifth-longest season-opening point streak in NHL history, a mark Heatley set with 22 games in 2005-06. Edmonton forward Leon Draisaitl registered an assist to extend his point streak to eight games, encompassing six goals and eight assists.
The match marked Edmonton coach Mike Babcock’s first game in Toronto since the Maple Leafs fired him on Nov. 20, 2019.
Levi improved to 9-1-0 in 2026-27 and in his career with the Oilers, posting the best 10-game start to a career with Edmonton in franchise history. He holds two more wins than the next closest goaltenders, Calvin Pickard who went 7-2-0 in 2023-24 and Ron Low who finished 7-2-1 in 1979-80.
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