The Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Detroit Red Wings 4-1 on Saturday night! A classic hockey match-up between two of the league’s original six teams was certainly a fun one! After a tough loss at home to the Seattle Kraken on Thursday night, the Toronto Maple bounced back into the win column after a strong performance. The opening period was a slow start, but the blue and white took care of business against the Red Wings in Toronto!
In the opening period of this one, the Toronto Maple Leafs came out flat. Detroit was getting the bulk of the opportunities early, really testing Samsonov. The blue and white were struggling to get stuff going and were held to only a single shot through the game’s first fifteen minutes. After a hooking penalty was called to Red Wings forward Jake Walman, Once Walman’s penalty was over, a stretch pass off the rush sent Jake all in alone on a breakaway. Walman came down the right side of Ilya Samsonov and placed a perfect wrist shot over Samsonov’s left pad! The Red Wings opened up the scoring and still kept coming! Credit to Ilya Samsonov for being strong early and getting the Leafs to the intermission only down a goal. The Red Wings were ahead in the shots totals 8-2 after the opening twenty minutes.
In the middle frame, the Leafs played a lot more like the team we were accustomed to! Dominating chances early, finally, an Auston Matthews point shot that missed the goal was then put in the net by Mitch Marner, who got the rebound off the glass for his 500th NHL point! Twenty-four seconds into the second period on the power-play, Marner tied the game with his 15th goal of the season! After Marner’s goal, the Red Wings started to push back. A flurry of saves made by Leafs goaltender Ilya Samsonov kept the Leafs in a tie! After the clutch stops by Samsonov, the Maple Leafs started to play with momentum! Finally, Maple Leafs captain John Tavares broke the deadlock! A Calle Järnkrok pass to send John Tavares in alone on Red Wings goaltender Magnus Hellberg was converted! This was the captain’s 17th goal of the year as the Leafs took the lead for the first time in this one! After John’s goal, it was fairly back and forth to end the period. The Maple Leafs clearly had the upper hand in the second after a slow first period. The Leafs went into the second intermission up 2-1 at Scotiabank Arena.
In the final frame of this one, the Maple Leafs had their best period of the game! Almost five minutes into the period, Leafs rookie Pontus Holmberg scored his 4th-goal of the season! A point shot from Morgan Rielly was redirected in front by Holmberg to give the Leafs a two-goal lead! After the Red Wings attempted to tie the game, the Leafs strong defensive play and good goaltending from Ilya Samsonov shut them down. Once Detroit Red Wings Head Coach Derek Lalonde pulled Hellberg for the extra-attacker, Leafs captain John Tavares buried his second of the game! Tavares’ empty-net goal was his 18th-goal of the season as the Leafs went up 4-1. After John’s goal, the Maple Leafs closed this one out getting back on track with a positive result at home!
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