The Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings met Saturday night at Scotiabank Arena, where the longtime Norris Division rivals faced a must-win situation with their playoff hopes on the line.
Things did not look good for the Toronto Maple Leafs early in the first as Timothy Liljegren who had just returned to the previous eight games was drilled from behind by Joe Veleno and had to leave the game (but did return). What confused most of the hockey community was that Veleno received just a two minute minor for boarding, while many thought it deserved a five minute major.
The Leafs would capitalize on the powerplay, with Mitch Marner scoring his first goal since returning to the lineup four games ago. The former fourth overall pick had scored in each of his previous four games since rejoining the squad, totaling five assists.
Marner’s powerplay goal was the peak of the period for the club and nothing went right after that with the Red Wings scoring four times in a span of 9:39 to finish out the first period.
Many believed that Ilya Samsonov who stopped just nine of the 13 shots likely would not return to the net for the second period, but in a head scratcher move he was left in there and the decision worked out for the team.
The tide would change when Nick Robertson began a comeback with an explosive shot over James Reimer’s glove hand, bringing the club within two goals. Robertson is still attempting to persuade Sheldon Keefe that he should be in the starting lineup, since he has scored in four of his past five games and would have had five tallies if a goal had been called back. The Maple Leafs answered shortly following Robertson’s goal, with Auston Matthews scoring his 69th goal of the season on a powerplay set up by Marner.
Captain John Tavares would help bring the team all the way back with his 27th goal of the season with just under three minutes left set up again by Marner for his third point of the game. Tavares has now scored three goals in his last two games after scoring just one in his previous ten.
The third period was a back and forth affair with neither team being able to find the back of the net which led to the teams going to overtime. Unfortunately, Max Domi took a needless hooking penalty with ten seconds left in regulation which carried over into overtime where the Red Wings would score after T.J. Brodie was first unable to clear the puck down the ice and then let Dylan Larkin stand uncontested in front of the net to redirect a point shot for the winner.
Toronto Maple Leafs Lose a Pair to Injuries
Bobby McMann was hurt in the first quarter with what the team described as a lower-body ailment and did not return to the game after only 4:10.
Late in the second period, Jake McCabe deflected a shot off his face, leaving him bloodied on the ice, and he left the game without returning. The playoff defense is uncertain and appears chaotic at this moment. Ilya Lyubushkin looked terrible in the opening period but was able to settle in for the last two frames.
T.J. Brodie, Keefe’s fave, had another bad night as he continued to make poor puck decisions, resulting in extended shifts in the Maple Leafs’ zone and the Red Wings’ game-winning goal.
The squad will go to Florida to play the Panthers and Lightning on Monday and Tuesday next week.
