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7:00 pm ET
TV: CBC probably
After two games on the road against top Cup contending teams — the Tampa Bay Lightning and Nashville Predators — the Leafs come home for a big Saturday night game against... the Detroit Red Wings?
Welp.
It’s probably even worse than you think. I know I thought the Red Wings were in a bad situation due to having a number of just awful contracts and not being so awful to give themselves a better chance of getting a high draft pick, not necessarily that they were a terrible team. A quick look at the standings, however, shows that Detroit has been so awful recently that they’ve fallen into the bottom 5 in the league. They might even get caught by Ottawa or Arizona (also LOL Arizona passed Vancouver and Buffalo!)
Seems like a classic trap game eh? At least the Leafs have Auston Matthews back, who is always fun to watch against Detroit, and a lot of players fighting to hold onto their roster spots. Connor Carrick, Travis Dermott, and Roman Polak have cemented themselves as the rotation for the 3rd pairing now that Nikita Zaitsev is back again, while Kasperi Kapanen and Andreas Johnsson have still gotten regular games in place of Dominic Moore, Matt Martin, and of course... Josh Leivo.
SO LET’S GO LEAFS!
ICYMI
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TORONTO -- The Toronto Maple Leafs tied their record for wins in a season and gained ground in the Atlantic Division with a 4-3 victory against the Detroit Red Wings at Air Canada Centre on Saturday.
[WATCH: All Red Wings vs. Maple Leafs highlights]
Frederik Andersen made 38 saves for the Maple Leafs (45-23-7), who moved within five points of the Boston Bruins for second place in the Atlantic having played two more games.
"I thought Detroit played really hard and made it hard on us," Toronto coach Mike Babcock said. "We told our team before the game they were going to make it hard on us, they were going to be above us, and they were going to compete defensively. I don't know if anybody believed me, but part way through the game they did. They're a prepared team and worked hard yet we found a way to win. On a night where you don't have your best stuff, if you can find a way to win, it's a real good sign."
Video: DET@TOR: Kapanen, Bozak combine for slick goal
Toronto won 45 games three times previously (1998-99, 1999-00 and 2003-04). It has won 13 home games in a row and scored at least three goals in eight straight.
Dylan Larkin, Tyler Bertuzzi and Frans Nielsen scored for the Red Wings (27-37-11), who are 1-11-1 in their past 13 games and have allowed at least four goals in 10 of 12.
"They're a good team, they're good at forcing turnovers, and when they get the puck with speed they have some skilled guys who can make plays," Red Wings captain Henrik Zetterberg said. "Today, the last goal was a 2-on-1, and the one before that we had full control behind our net."
Nazem Kadri made it 4-3 with 7:26 left in the third period. He scored after taking a 2-on-1 pass from Patrick Marleau, who carried the puck through the neutral zone and lifted a backhand over Red Wings defenseman Luke Witkowski.
"It was a great play by [Mitchell Marner] getting it out on the boards, and I was able to skate on to it and their [defenseman] slid, so I was just looking to get it to the back side, and Kadri put it in," Marleau said.
William Nylander tied it 3-3 at 7:27 of the third period on a give-and-go with Auston Matthews. Red Wings defenseman Nick Jensen turned over the puck in the defensive zone.
Nielsen gave Detroit a 3-2 lead at 4:58. The goal was initially disallowed because of goaltender interference, but the Red Wings challenged that interference did not occur and the call was overturned.
Connor Brown scored for Toronto to tie it 2-2 at 14:19 of the second period when he deflected a point shot from Travis Dermott to end a 14-game goal drought.
The Maple Leafs took a 1-0 lead at 14:30 of the first period when Kasperi Kapanen scored off a pass from Tyler Bozak in the slot.
Larkin tied it 1-1 at 4:32 of the second period after getting a lead pass from Anthony Mantha that resulted in a breakaway. The Red Wings went up 2-1 at 9:37 when Bertuzzi deflected a point shot from Danny DeKeyser.
Video: DET@TOR: Brown scores on redirection from the slot
Goal of the game
Kadri's goal at 12:34 of the third period.
Video: DET@TOR: Kadri knocks in Marleau's pass to take lead
Save of the game
Andersen's save on Anthony Mantha at 10:32 of the second period.
Video: DET@TOR: Andersen turns aside Nielsen in front
Highlight of the game
Nylander's goal at 7:27 of the third period.
Video: DET@TOR: Nylander nets Matthews' pretty pass
They said it
"They're deep, they've got forwards that can definitely fly, but I thought we did a good job for the most part limiting their opportunities, limiting their chances, but they're just a dangerous team." -- Red Wings goaltender Jimmy Howard
"I don't know why you'd be frustrated about anything, it seems like a waste of time to me. To me that's not what it's about; it's about preparation for the tournament. You want to get in, you want to be prepared, and you want to get your team better whether you're playing Detroit or Buffalo, who we have next, or Florida (after that). Really it's about your last opportunities to prepare as a team, because if you're not prepared, you're out of the tournament right away." -- Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock on going 19-5-2 in their past 26 games but not catching the Bruins
Need to know
The Maple Leafs tied their record for home wins in a season (26-8-2), set in 2005-06. ... Toronto has scored first in seven consecutive games. ... Marner has 11 points (three goals, eight assists) in an eight-game point streak.
What's next
Red Wings: At the Montreal Canadiens on Monday (7:30 p.m. ET; TSN2, RDS, FS-D+, NHL.TV)
Maple Leafs: Host the Buffalo Sabres on Monday (7 p.m. ET; TSN4, MSG-B, NHL.TV)
Video: Balanced attack, Andersen lead Leafs past Red Wings
