The Maple Leafs had one-goal leads twice in the game, but both were erased, with Detroit scoring late to win 3-2.
The Maple Leafs had one-goal leads twice in the game, but both were erased, with Detroit scoring late to win 3-2.
The Red Wings might've been rushing to be ready for the game on Sunday, but they'll be leaving Scotiabank Arena a little bit more relaxed.
While the mystery early on Sunday was the Maple Leafs' lineup and who would be in and out, the real mystery was whether this game would actually be played. The Red Wings had travel issues getting to Toronto and the game was up in the air.
But Detroit got to Toronto, arriving in the building an hour-and-a-half before the scheduled puck drop.
Toronto's lineup was in fact put in a blender, with all of the forward lines mixed up. Each of the alterations made for a fascinating matchup against Detroit.
And, of course, Ilya Samsonov was making his first start for the Maple Leafs since Dec. 29 against Columbus, where he allowed six goals on 21 shots.
There were no goals scored in the first period, but both teams had a few chances. It began with the new-look Maple Leafs first line of Auston Matthews, William Nylander, and Pontus Holmberg.
It's a tic-tac-toe play from the trio, ending with Holmberg just missing the puck in front of James Reimer.
Toronto had three power plays in the opening frame, generating five shots on the man advantage. However, the best scoring opportunity came from the shorthanded Red Wings as they had a pair of two-on-one's.
One, Detroit couldn't complete a pass on. The other, was stopped, with Samsonov coming up with a humongous save on Michael Rasmussen.
The 26-year-old netminder made 10 saves in the opening frame and every one of them came with a cheer from the fans inside Scotiabank Arena.
Detroit lost a key player in Patrick Kane during the first period. He went awkwardly into the boards with Holmberg, and the Red Wings announced in the first intermission that he wouldn't return.
Holmberg, whose having a heck of a week with Toronto, got the Maple Leafs going early in the second. A great toe tip on Morgan Rielly's shot put the Maple Leafs up 1-0.
That's the 24-year-old's second goal of the season and fourth point in the last five games. Rielly, who tallied his 28th assist of the year, now has 14 points in his last 14 games.
15 minutes later, David Perron gets away from John Tavares in Toronto's zone and feeds it to Dylan Larkin. The Red Wings' captain beats Samsonov, tying the game at one.
Not even a minute later, the Red Wings would nearly take the lead. J.T. Compher would tuck the puck around Samsonov, but would be halted by Simon Benoit right before the goal line.
A big stop for the six-foot-four defenseman who continues to make a name for himself on the Maple Leafs' back-end.
Toronto wasn't done making big plays, though.
Just before the second period ends, Mitch Marner and Tyler Bertuzzi team up for a passing play which results in a huge goal for Toronto. Bertuzzi's deception opens up Marner for the easy tap-in, giving the Maple Leafs the 2-1 lead going into the third period.
While it's Marner's 18th goal of the year, it's more importantly his 600th NHL point, making him the fastest player in Maple Leafs history to reach the feat. The 26-year-old arrives at the total in just 548 games, 36 less than Darryl Sittler, who got his first 600 points in 584 games.
Marner is the seventh player in Maple Leafs history to reach the 600-point milestone.
Detroit would keep pushing, though, and with a little luck, they found the back of the net nearly three minutes into third period. Rielly's stick would blow up on him in the Red Wings' zone and Daniel Sprong would come the other way.
He would beat Rielly in the foot race, make a nice move, and beat Samsonov, tying the game at two.
Late in the third period, Detroit was pressing and Samsonov made a huge save with the glove. However, nearly a minute later, Samsonov would get beat by Andrew Copp with traffic riddled in front of the netminder.
Toronto would push for the game-tying goal following Detroit's tally, but the Red Wings would find an empty netter, winning the game 5-3 and pulling within a point of the Maple Leafs in the Atlantic-Division standings.
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