Red Wings-Maple Leafs quick take: another frustrating loss to Toronto

The Detroit Red Wings attempted to snap the Toronto Maple Leafs’ 12-game home winning streak on Saturday evening.

Detroit blew 3-1 and 3-2 leads en route to a 4-3 loss to the Maple Leafs on Saturday, affording Toronto its 13th straight home win while losing the Wings’ 10th straight road game.

Dylan Larkin, Tyler Bertuzzi and Frans Nielsen all scored goals, Nielsen had 6 shots, Larkin 5, Jimmy Howard was pretty damn excellent for a goalie who gave up 4 goals, and the Wings just were unable to hold onto the leads they generated, which was incredibly frustrating.

The Maple Leafs’ lineup was known before the game, as posted by NHL.com’s Dave McCarthy…

Zach Hyman — Auston Matthews — William Nylander

Patrick Marleau — Nazem Kadri — Mitchell Marner

James van Riemsdyk — Tyler Bozak — Connor Brown

Andreas Johnsson — Tomas Plekanec — Kasperi Kapanen

Morgan Rielly — Ron Hainsey

Jake Gardiner — Nikita Zaitsev

Travis Dermott — Roman Polak

Frederik Andersen

Curtis McElhinney

And the Red Wings’ lineup was known as well:

The Maple Leafs started Mitch Marner, Patrick Marleau and Nazem Kadri at forward, Ron Hainsey and Morgan Rielly on defense and Fredrik Andersen in goal;

The Red Wings started Tyler Bertuzzi, Henrik Zetterberg and Gustav Nyquist at forward, Jonathan Ericsson and Trevor Daley on defense and Jimmy Howard in goal.

Chris Schlenker and Chris Rooney refereed the game, with Shandor Alphonso and Devin Berg working the lines.

The 1st period

1st period observations:

  • Zetterberg drew in for the opening faceoff opposite Kadri and the draw was tied up, but Ericsson and Daley chipped so that the Wings could chase. Hainsey took over but could not clear the zone, and Nyquist helped Ericsson pinch to retain possession, which Bertuzzi facilitated via a steal and a shot that was blocked off a leg.
  • The Leafs set up and Detroit stifled their rush by standing up at their blueline, where DeKeyser and Jensen played catch. Detroit chipped and chased, with Larkin feeding Mantha behind the net, but the Leafs swiped the puck, pushed it to center, and skated into Detroit’s zone, with Nylqnder centering the puck just wide of Hyman.
  • Matthews stole the puck off Mantha’s stick and sent a shot wide of Howard, reversing the puck to a Leaf at the blueline, and Howard had to stop the game’s first shot at 1:28.
  • Nielsen drew in for the next faceoff and won it to the defense, Detroit sent the puck out of trouble but Nielsen’s centering pass for AA nearly went to a Leaf, and Abdelkader, Athanasiou and Abdelkader worked the puck into the Leafs’ zone for a pinching Witkowski, and Toronto broke back toward the Wings zone, but Kronwall fed Witkowski deep, he got back to help Svechnikov stickhandle in, and his puck was swiped away and cleared by Johnsson.
  • Toronto was able to set up in the Wings’ zone and generate another point shot on Howard at 2:35.
  • Detroit lost the next faceoff, but Zetterberg, Bertuzzi nd Nyquist chased the Leafs’ defense into retreating, and when the Leafs attacked Detroit’s zone, Jensen was able to clear without too much pressure.
  • Zetterberg fed Nyquist at the front of the net, but the Leafs blocked the shot attempt away, and when Detroit re-set, the Wings iced the puck.
  • Detroit won the draw in their zone and Larkin and Mantha charged up ice…

And Darren Helm and Zach Hyman went at it at center ice, with more wrestling than throwing punches. Both players sat at 3:50.

  • Nielsen, Athanasiou and Abdelkader drew inf or an offensive zone draw, lost it, and Kronwall and Witkowski set up, skating to the offensive blueline, but the puck bounced off the linesman, and Toronto iced the puck.
  • The Leafs looked like they were on cruise control and then some, and Detroit was quite happy to exploit the Leafs’ sleepiness.
  • Detroit won the next draw, with Svechnikov, Frk and Glendening grinding the puck out down low, and Glendening put the puck off a Leaf for the Wings’ first shot on Andersen at 4:25.
  • Glendening tied up the next draw and pushed it back to Ericsson, who sent a floater right into Andersen’s glove.
  • Toronto won the next draw, and Ericsson kicked the puck deep, but Detroit had to overload the wing to turn the puck over at the Toronto line, where Detroit was offside.
  • Zetterberg drew in and tied up the draw at the Leaf blueline, Marner and Toronto chipped and chased, and Nyquist was able to poke the puck out of trouble, but Toronto re-set, and Marleau sent a shot wide of the Wings’ goal via a block.
  • 5:09 into the 1st, Detroit could not win the draw at their left wing dot, and Ericsson and Daley had to clear the puck for Mantha and Larkin, who played for a shift with Svechnikov.
  • Witkowski picked up the Leafs’ dump-in and sent it to Kronwall, Svechnikov found Mantha, who dumped the puck in on Andersen directly, and Toronto raced the other way, with Howard stopping a stretch pass to Nylander turned shot from 40 feet.
  • Toronto drew in for an offensive zone draw and lost the puck to Nielsen, Abdelkader and Athanasiou, who chipped and chased. Kronwall stole the puck, skated in for a shot and generated a power play.

Kronwall was tugged by Connor Brown, who sat for holding at 6:14.

  • At 6:14, Detroit out-shot Toronto 4-3 and was out-attempted 8-6; hits 2-1 Detroit; giveaways 3-2 Toronto, takeaways 3-1 Toronto; blocked shots 3-2 Detroit; faceoffs 6-5 Detroit (55%).
  • Larkin drew in for the PP-opening faceoff in the offensive zone, Toronto jumped and had to substitute centers, Larkin won the draw and Nielsen sent a sneaky shot just wide of Andersen…wide and out of play, 7 seconds into the PP.
  • Detroit lost the faceoff at the right dot and Howard ended up having to play the puck away from a pinching PK’er, so Detroit re-set with Daley skating up ice, avoiding a Leaf, nad trying to facilitate a chip-in by Nielsen.
  • The play didn’t work, so Howard had to set up Daley, Frk and Nielsen chipped and chased, Larkin and Mantha tried to push the puck further, and Larkin fed Mantha, Mantha found Frk in tight and he sent a slot pass wide of Andersen;
  • Daley got a boomer to go toward Andersen and Frans Nielsen tipped it, but Andersen made a tremendous stop;
  • Detroit changed their PP players with about 25 left in the PP, and Toronto not only generated a rush…

But Johnsson sold a pull by Bertuzzi, and Bertuzzi sat at 8:02 for “interference.”

  • The 4 on 4 quickly expired and Detroit dumped and chased, with Larkin sending the puck back to DeKeyser for a shot wide of Andersen.
  • Rielly and the Leafs tried to set up in the Wings’ zone, but Abdelkader was able to clear the zone and feed Glendening for a shot that went off a Leaf leg…
  • Toronto set up in the Wings’ zone…

And Nazem Kadri dumped Trevor Daley from behind, yielding a pop in the face from Glendening to Kadri, but nothing was called on the trip from behind.

  • At 9:07, with 55 seconds left on the Leafs’ PP, Detroit’s Glendening lost the draw to Matthews, Toronto cycled, and Howard made a good stop on a tipped-down bouncer of a shot.
  • Nielsen took the next draw, working with Helm, and the Leafs won the draw, sent the puck in on Howard…

And Darren Helm chipped the puck out of play at 9:26, yielding a delay of game and 36-second 5-on-3 for Toronto.

  • Toronto set up on the 5-on-3 opposite Ericsson, DeKeyser and Glendening, and Glendening won the draw to DeKeyser, who blasted the puck down the ice.
  • Toronto set up and skated in, with Marner feeding Rielly and then Nylander, and Howard made a big stop off a scramble.
  • The Leafs pumped the puck to the point and the puck hit JvR, so Bertuzzi was able to clear the puck on his second try.
  • Toronto set up at center, drop passed the puck into the Wings’ zone, Marner fed Kadri, he was bumped, and a shot block yielded an Abdelkader charge up ice shorthanded.
  • Andersen didn’t have to make a stop as Abdelkader whiffed wide.
  • Howard then stopped a Leaf shot off Bozak’s mini rush, and more blocked shots yielded a fair to good PP for the Wings.
  • Toronto kept the puck in, however, and Howard had to make a big stop on Bozak with 5 ticks left on the PP.
  • Toronto won the final PP faceoff and Matthews made an amazing shot but Howard windmill-gloved the puck to stop it.
  • Toronto retained control of the puck, and Detroit battled the puck out to center, Toronto had to tag up, and so the Wings changed personnel and set up.
  • Kronwall fed Zetterberg at center, he sent the puck in deep and Bertuzzi fed Witkowski for a screened shot that was taken by Johnsson and then Dermott, who fired a shot off Howard and into the crowd.
  • The second TV timeout hit at 12:29.
  • At 12:29, Detroit was out-shot 10-7 and out-attempted 22-11; hits 2-1 Detroit; giveaways 6-3 Toronto, takeaways 3-1 Toronto; blocked shots 7-3 Detroit; faceoffs 9-9 (50%).
  • The Wings lost the next faceoff in their own zone, and Marner and Kadri hacked and whacked their way deep into the Wings’ zone, and Kadri went down on his own, losing an edge as Glendening bumped him…
  • And Trevor Daley was already off for concussion protocol.
  • Helm, Larkin and Mantha drew in for a faceoff at the Leaf line, they won the draw but lost the war for the puck, and Toronto both skated into the Wings’ zone and  nearly drew a penalty as Matthews went down.
  • Toronto sent a sneaky shot in on Howard, but he made a big stop;
  • Mantha and Larkin connected for an offensive zone chance;
  • Witkowski re-set at center and sent a shot in on Andersen;
  • Toronto skated back the other way, and Kronwall and Witkowski surrendered the puck to Bozak, and Brown tipped the puck wide of the net.
  • Detroit skated up ice, and AA’s backhander went wide…
  • Toronto skated into the Wings’ zone, overloaded the wing, and pushed the puck back to the slot…

And Jensen and van Riemsdyk could not control the puck, Athanasiou and Ericsson got caught puck-watching and Bozak sent the puck through Athanasiou’s legs to Kapanen, who shoveled the garbage into the back of the net.

 Kapanen scored at 14:30 from Bozak and van Riemsdyk. Toronto led 1-0.

  • The Leafs won the post-goal faceoff, and Witkowski of all people led the rush as he pushed the puck to Zetterberg, Bertuzzi buzzed the crease and jammed the puck into Andersen, and a TV timeout hit.
  • At 15:00, Detroit was out-shot 12-9 and out-attempted 25-15; hits 4-1 Detroit; giveaways 6-5 Toronto, takeaways 3-0 Toronto; blocked shots 7-3 Detroit; faceoffs 12-9 Toronto (43%).
  • Detroit lost the post-TV timeout draw in the Leafs’ zone, and Witkowski and Kronwall ended up chipping the puck into the Leafs’ bench.
  • The Leafs won the next draw and dumped the puck in, Witkowski turned it over, and Polak blasted a heavy shot through Howard, with Dermott taking the rebound and hammering it off the opposite goalpost.
  • Kapanen came up with the puck and Johnsson fed Dermott for another shot that Howard had to stop, so Detroit completely lost its structure in its own zone.
  • After a desperation clear, Detroit re-set, and Nyquist fed Jensen for a pinch play.
  • Jensen fed Bertuzzi, Zetterberg’s stick was checked and Toronto skated away with the puck.
  • Matthews sashayed into the Wings’ zone, cycled around the net, and fed Zaitsev, who sent the puck wide.
  • Bertuzzi skated back into the Leafs’ zone, pumped the puck back to Ericsson, and Mantha lost the puck, but Ericsson and Kronwall held on, Mantha fed Helm and he missed the puck off the toe of his stick.
  • Helm persisted and got a shot off on Andersen before Toronto cleared their zone.
  • The Wings continued to attack the Leafs’ zone, but Toronto chipped and iced the puck with 2:06 remaining.

Then the refs reviewed whether the puck went in off Howard at 4:27 of the 1st, and it was determined that the puck never completely crossed the line.

  • The Red Wings then set up in their own zone off a lost faceoff, and Jensen was unable to clear the zone, so Marner and Marleau mashed and ground before DeKeyser could clear the zone.
  • Svechnikov, Glendening and Frk were unable to penetrate the Leafs’ zone, so Abdelkader, Athanasiou and Nielsen skated into the Leafs’ end, and AA put a nice backhand shot off a Leaf shin pad.
  • Ericsson and Kronwall set up, Nielsen and Abdelkader pushed the puck deeper, and Detroit battled but could not win the war for possession and control of thep uck.
  • Toronto chipped and chased, and DETROIT was able to skate away with Nyquist skating in on a breakaway…
  • But Nyquist LOST CONTROL OF THE PUCK and ended up having to feed Zetterberg for a shot instead.
  • Detroit won the next draw, but Toronto double-teamed Zetterberg, Nylander, Hyman and Matthews skated into the Wings’ zone, and they ground the puck out down low as time expired.

The 1st period in summary: In what was truly an ugly, sloppy, mucky-grindy period, Toronto was able to score a garbage goal to take the lead thanks to a lot of standing and staring in front of the Red Wings’ goal.

The Wings also lost Trevor Daley to probable concussion protocol, and being down to 5 defensemen including Luke Witkowski is a little scary.

Statistically, Detroit was out-shot 15-11 and out-attempted 29-20; hits 6-2 Detroit; giveaways 8-6 Toronto, takeaways 3-0 Toronto (possession changes 9-8 Toronto); blocked shots 7-4 Detroit; faceoffs 16-9 Toronto (36% for Detroit).

Individually, Nielsen led the Wings with 2 shots, and 9 other skaters had 1 shot; Svechnikov had 2 hits, and Jensen, Witkowski, Ericsson and DeKeyser had 1 hit; Witkowski and Larkin had 2 giveaways apiece; Kronwall blocked 4 shots, DeKeyser 3; Zetterberg, Nielsen and Larkin were all 2-and-3 (40%) on faceoffs; Detroit was -5; Jensen led the Wings with 8:07 played, DeKeyser played 8:01, Kronwall 7:6, Ericsson 6:36, Larkin 6:36, Abdelkader 6:05, Nielsen 6:03.

This news also hit during the 1st intermission:

The 2nd period

2nd period observations:

  • Trevor Daley did indeed return for the start of the 2nd period.
  • Henrik Zetterberg also tied up but did not win the opening faceoff, so Toronto chipped and chased, DeKeyser was over-powered by Marner and Howard had to make a TREMENDOUS stop on Marleau.
  • The Wings then changed lines as Ericsson took control of the puck and backed into the pocket behind his net; Jensen chipped the puck down ice, and Andersen flipped it right back into the Wings’ zone, icing the puck.
  • Larkin, Mantha and Helm won the deep offensive zone draw and Daley got a shot off on Andersen, who made a steady stop.
  • Larkin drew in opposite Matthews and lost the next faceoff, with Toronto chipping out to Nylander, he fed Gardiner, and Howard fought off the puck, making a good glove stop.
  • 1:15 into the 2nd, and Glendening won the draw on the right side, Ericsson and Abdelkader worked to set up a breakaway pass, but Andersen chipped the puck away, Nielsen sent a shot in on Andersen, and Toronto skated away…
  • With van Riemsdyk nearly setting up Connor Brown for a goal.
  • Toronto cycled, Abdelkader and Nielsen were stick-checked, Toronto set up, and Abdelkader coughed up the puck before chipping and chasing.
  • As Detroit changed, Jensen held the puck in, put a shot off a stick-less Plekanec, and Detroit was able to attack the Leafs’ zone, with Andersen playing very aggressively to move the puck around the defensive zone.
  • Glendening, Frk and Svechnikov did what they could, but Toronto was more dominant, and the Leafs entered the Wings’ zone as Detroit changed…
  • Ericsson and Daley helped GLendening set up, Daley fed Nyquist and Zetterberg chipped the puck to himself, faked a shot and fed DeKeyser, who tried to bank the puck off Andersen.
  • That didn’t work, so Zaitsev cleared the puck and Kadri sent it deeper, but Larkin took over, skated up the left wing, and was dumped by a Leaf;
  • Toronto cleared their defensive zone, skated into the Wings’ end, and Matthews sent a shot wide…

And Dylan Larkin was fed for a mini breakaway by Mantha. Larkin split the Leafs’ defense and sent a sneaky little snapper over Andersen’s glove to make it 1-1.

Larkin made it 1-1 at 4:32 from Mantha.

  • Detroit lost the post-goal faceoff and pushed the puck into Toronto territory by a dump and chase play, and Abdelkader and Witkowski were unable to push the puck deeper, so Witkowski set up behind his net and Kronwall took over, feeding Glendening and then Frk…

And Martin Frk was tripped by Ron Hainsey, so Frk got a penalty shot, skated in deep and shoveled a puck into Andersen.

  • So play continued with Svechnikov, Glendening and Frk on the ice, they drew in at 5:25 for a faceoff that they lost, and DeKeyser re-set, giving the puck to Glendening then Jensen. Jensen’s pinch and shot yielded a 3-on-2 for Toronto, however, and…
  • Andreas Johnsson skated into the slot, going forehand to backhand, and Howard made a TREMENDOUS GLOVE SAVE to keep the game tied.
  • As play resumed, Bertuzzi and Daley mashed a Leaf in the corner, Detroit chipped and chased, and Bertuzzi and Nyquist fed Zetterberg, who sent a pass in front instead of a shot. The Leafs broke things up, and while Detroit held the puck in, Nyquist was tripped by Marner…
  • Bertuzzi still fed Zetterberg for a shot, Ericsson got a shot off as well, and Andersen had to make some big stops.
  • At 6:50, Detroit was out-shooting Toronto 8-3 in the 2nd and 19-18 overall; attempts 36-30 Toronto; hits 8-5 Detroit; giveaways 11-6 Toronto, takeaways 3-1 Toronto; blocked shots 8-6 Detroit; faceoffs 18-14 Toronto (44%).
  • Detroit lost the post-TV timeout draw, but Larkin, Helm and Ericsson raced up and in, and Larkin and Ericsson generated shot attempts;
  • Toronto battled the puck into the Wings’ zone, but Detroit was able to attack the Leafs again, wit Jensen chipping and the Wings changing.
  • Jensen caught Connor Brown with a trip that was uncalled, but he could not clear the zone once, not twice, and he got help the third time.
  • Andersen faked out Athanasiou as Andersen played the puck, and Toronto charged into the Wings’ zone, where Jensen and Kronwall had to throw the puck to Abdelkader, who threw it away at center…
  • And Abdelkader and Polak bumped and shoved each other with some veracity.
  • Zetterberg won the next draw, and Witkowski and Kronwall tried to play give-and-go…
  • Instead, Zetterberg had to bail out Witkowski, who flipped the puck to Nyquist, and Toronto charged back into Detroit’s zone and ground it out down low.
  • Witkowski and Zetterberg worked with Bertuzzi to push the puck to center ice, and Nyquist helped Zetterberg find the puck for a rag-around and drop pass to DeKeyser…

And Tyler Bertuzzi tipped down DeKeyser’s shot as Jensen pushed toward the net, giving Detroit a 2-1 lead.

Bertuzzi tipped the DeKeyser shot via drop pass from Zetterberg, giving Detroit a 2-1 lead at 9:37.

  • On the post-goal shift, Detroit parried away a Leafs rush, Helm, Larkin and Mantha pushed the puck into the Leafs’ zone twice, and Andersen ended up playing the puck to Nylander at center.
  • He coughed up the puck to Mantha, and Mantha needed help from Abdelkader and Nielsen to swipe the puck, with Mantha tipping the puck into Andersen.
  • Mantha then worked down low and Nielsen was stopped by Andersen.
  • At 10:46, Detroit was out-shooting Toronto 13-3 in the 2nd and 24-18 overall; attempts 35-35; hits 11-7 Detroit; giveaways 13-7 Toronto, takeaways 3-1 Toronto; blocked shots 8-6 Detroit; faceoffs 18-17 Toronto (49%).
  • When play resumed, Nielsen drew a puck to Abdelkader and the Leafs blocked Detroit’s attempts out of play, so a re-set of the faceoff yielded a Leaf win and Dermott clearing the puck down ice to ice the puck.
  • 10:59 into the 2nd period, Toronto won the next draw, but the Wings generated a turnover at center ice and Bertuzzi raced into the offensive zone, forcing Andersen to make a stop.
  • Toronto won the next deep defensive zone faceoff, Toronto raed away and Kapanen set up, but Glendening blocked a shot pass…
  • Johnsson skated in, Kapanen sent a shot wide, Hainsey sent a shot wide, Plekanec cycled and Glendening battled away so Witkowski and Svechnikov could combine to cycle and then clear the puck.
  • Frk set up in the Leafs’ zone, feeding Larkin for a shot off Andersen’s head…and Frk and Larkin set each other up for shot attempts that were blocked.
  • Jensen also sent a shot in that was stopped.
  • Detroit re-set at center ice, DeKeyser was hooked sans penalty by Marner, and Detroit chipped and changed.
  • Toronto reversed flow, and Matthews tipped a pass wide of Howard, with Howard stifling Gardiner in the slot.
  • The Leafs were back in it.
  • And Larkin got hit hard by Hyman, yielding a stinger for Larkin’s right leg.
  • Toronto cycled in the Wings’ zone off the deep offensive zone faceoff, but Zetterberg was able to block a couple of Leaf passes and try to set up Nyquist…
  • Nylander and Gardiner were able to set up and Zetterberg’s stick was slashed out of his hands sans call, so Detroit iced the puck.
  • With 6:10 remaining, Zetterberg, with a stick in his hands, drew in for a faceoff, and he won it to Ericsson, Bertuzzi got mashed along the side boards, and Nyquist cleared the zone, but Toronto returned, with Rielly feeding Dermott and the Leafs tipped the shot home.

Connor Brown tipped the Dermott shot over Howard’s blocker at 14:19.

 Brown made it 2-2 at 14:19.

  • The Red Wings had a couple of bad shifts, and those bad shifts yielded a tied game in a period that the Wings had dominated.
  • Off the post-goal draw, Toronto skated into the Wings’ zone, and Abdelkader turned the puck over, so Witkowski and Kronwall cleared the zone, Nielsen was hacked at center, and Detroit was called offside, with Abdelkader hacked by Dermott after play.
  • At 14:52, Detroit out-shot Toronto 17-5 in the 2nd and 28-20 overall; attempts 44-40 Toronto; hits 13-9 Detroit; giveaways 13-7 Toronto, takeaways 4-1 Toronto; blocked shots 11-6 Detroit; faceoffs 21-21 (50%).
  • The Wings lost the draw at Toronto’s line, and the Leafs chipped the puck into Detroit’s zone, icing it…
  • So Larkin, Mantha and Helm returned to the Leafs’ zone, won the draw, and DeKeyser’s bad pinch yielded a Matthews pass to Nylander that resulted in a BREAKAWAY that JENSEN DIFFUSED SANS PENALTY.
  • Detroit raced up the other way off a faceoff win, and Helm stayed out with Nielsen, he fed Ericsson, and Daley pinched to help Helm.
  • The Wings cycled, fed Ericsson for a point shot, and Andersen gloved Ericsson’s shot.
  • Frk, Glendening and Svechnikov tied up the Leafs at center and got some help from Witkowski and Kronwall, with Witkowski of all people pinching smartly to help Svechnikov set up…
  • But Toronto raced the other way, and they went offside.
  • The Wings lost the ensuing faceoff but managed to clear the puck twice, with Zetterberg, Bertuzzi and Nyquist skating up and into the Leafs’ zone, where Nyquist got a good shot on Andersen.
  • Detroit retained possession of thep uck and cycled again, with Daley helping…

And Zetterberg was called for an accidental high stick on Plekanec at 17:24.

  • Toronto lost the initial draw but held the puck in, and Bozak, Marner and JvR worked the puck dodwn low, Howard stopped it, and Toronto returned to center ice on their own to set up.
  • Bozak fed the point, Marner was blocked but Glendening could not cleare, Toronto cycled vs. Jensen, and Larkin stole the puck, raced up ice and chipped and changed.
  • With 1:02 remaining on the PK, Toronto was playing back-pass city, but they skated in and Nylander was set up by Matthews, but the Wings made good plays to block Nylander from shooting…
  • Rielly then skated in, fed Nylander, Matthews skated in, Nylander tried to center and then pumped the puck to the point, Matthews fed Rielly, Nylander sent the puck toward the net and Howard made a tremendous stop.
  • Abdelkader had to draw in for the final PK draw, and the Wings just cleared the zone to wrap up the PK.
  • Detroit attacked the offensive zone in the final moments of the period, with Larkin feeding DeKeyser for a shot that went high and wide.
  • Larkin sent another shot into Andersen, and he held on with 8.7 remaining.
  • Larkin, Zetterberg and Mantha won the draw to Daley, he fanned on the shot, and Toronto was able to clear quite easily.

The 2nd period in summary: Detroit out-played the Leafs by a fair margin, producing a 2-1 lead, but Frk fumbled a penalty shot, Detroit was unable to prevent the Leafs from tying the game, and in sum, Detroit’s shot dominance in the 2nd did not equal a period of total dominance by a Wings team that cannot make the kinds of mistakes that it continues to make.

Statistically, Detroit out-shot Toronto 19-8 in the 2nd and 30-23 overall; attempts 48-47 Toronto; hits 14-10 Detroit; giveaways 14-8 Toronto, takeaways 5-1 Toronto (possession changes 15-13 Detroit); blocked shots 12-8 Detroit; faceoffs 26-24 Detroit (52%).

Individually, Nielsen led the Wings with 5 shots; Larkin had 4; Bertuzzi and Frk had 3 shots; Jensen, Nyquist, Mantha, Zetterberg, and Helm ahd 2 shots; Jensen had 3 hits, and Kronwall, DeKeyser and Svechnikov had 2 hits; Witkowski, DeKeyser and Larkin had 2 giveaways apiece; Nyquist had the only takeaway; Kronwall blocked 4 shots, DeKeyser 3, Glendening 2; Larkin’s 8-and-5 (62%) led the Wings in the faceoff circle; Detroit was “even” as a team; Jensen led the Wings with 15:19; Ericsson played 14:32, DeKeyser 14:25, Kronwall 13:01, Larkin 12:40, Zetterberg 11:30, Nielsen 11:20, Daley 11:12.

The 3rd period

3rd period observations:

  • Zetterberg took the opening faceoff and won it, with Detroit’s defense chipping and chasing, and Zetterberg clanged a shot off the back of the Leafs’ net trying to center it off Andersen.
  • Toronto skated the other way, Kadri was checked by Nyquist, and Detroit chipped and changed, with Ericsson affording the Wings more time.
  • Mantha held the puck in off a Daley dump, Helm jammed at the Leaf line, and Daley fed Helm, Larkin found Mantha in the slot, and he was STONED by Andersen;
  • Toronto skated the other way and skated into the Wings’ zone, but Detroit stifled the offensive rush, and chipped the puck into the Leafs’ zone, where Andersen gobbled up the puck.
  • Detroit lost the next faceoff, Toronto was stopped at its own blueline but re-set, and Gardiner sent the puck into Detroit’s zone, where Witkowski turned it over on the wheel play…But Athanasiou took a feed from Abdelkader, sent it wide, and AA got the rebound but was tied up by a Leaf defender.
  • Toronto chipped and chased, Witkowski and Kronwall cleared the puck up for Abdelkader, and he forced Glendening offside.
  • Svechnikov was also dumped away from play.
  • Detroit won the draw at Toronto’s blueline, but the Wings had some trouble getting through center ice. Glendening grabbed the rebound of an Ericsson shot off Andersen and he cycled for a bit;
  • Then the Wings chipped and changed, with Zetterberg getting a shot off, Jensen sending a shot in on Andersen that was stifled by Polak just as Bertuzzi jabbed at the puck…
  • Bertuzzi jabbed at the puck off another Jensen keep-in, and the Leafs skated away…
  • Detroit stood up at its own blueline, but that resulted in DeKeyser icing the puck.
  • 3:25 into the 3rd, Zetterberg draw in for a defensive zone draw opposite Nylander and he won the draw, but Toronto stole the puck…
  • Zetterberg blocked the shot and Bertuzzi at least cleared the zone, facilitating a change as Hyman flipped the puck into the Wings’ zone.
  • Matthews stole the puck and fed Nylander, to no avail, and after re-setting at center, Toronto sticked into the Wings’ zone, with Daley and Ericsson stifling Matthews and then skating up into the Leaf end, where Ericsson got a shot off.
  • Detroit lost the offensive zone draw as Athanasiou was forced to take it instead of Nielsen, and the Leafs chipped and chased, with Howard playing the puck to Abdelkader, then Nielsen…
  • And Athanasiou went offside.
  • Nielsen drew in for a draw at the Leafs’ blueline, it was tied up and Kronwall fed Witkowski for a dump-in.
  • Athanasiou and Abdelkader played catch, AA circled and was tripped, Kronwall and Witkowski held the puck in and Nielsen scored?

Nielsen took Witkowski’s feed and fired the puck off the in-goal camera, which needed to be repaired.

The referees reviewed the play, and the play was declared in the net but not a goal due to incidental contact…Blashill challenged it, and it was called a goal.

 Nielsen made it 3-2 at 4:58 from Witkowski and Kronwall.

  • Detroit won the ensuing faceoff, Svechnikov circled the net nad was stood up by Rielly, Toronto raced to center and in, and Jensen had to bail out the Wings’ defense.
  • Detroit watched the Leafs change and shifted forward lines themselves, and Kronwall and Witkowski sent the puck up to Nyquist, he chipped for Bertuzzi’s chase, Nyquist and Zetterberg ground, but Toronto’s Kadri pushed the puck to center.
  • Bertuzzi flipped the puck deep, Toronto retrieved, and the Leafs swiped the puck from Howard on the clear-around, but Detroit blocked shots, and Bertuzzi’s tenacious checking yielded a clear-and-change.
  • Toronto skated back in, and Howard had to make some BIG STOPS on Hyman and Matthews.
  • Detroit then iced the puck (Mantha)…
  • Toronto won the draw, Toronto sent the puck to the slot and Matthews nearly scored on a feed from Nylander.
  • Detroit skated away, Larkin coughed up the puck and Toronto raced in 3-on-2, but DeKeyser and Jensen made a good play…

Then Jensen turned over the puck, Matthews and Nylander played catch, and Nylander roofed the puck over Howard to make it 3-3.

 Nylander scored the 3-3 goal at 7:27 from Matthews.

  • Detroit won the post-goal faceoff, but ended up defending, with Witkowski and Kronwall working with Nielsen to try and stifle a shot by Gardiner and some cycling.
  • Abdelkader fed AA for a rush that turned into very little, and Zetterberg and Nyquist ended up doing more with the puck, with Nyquist feeding Zetterberg in front.
  • Bertuzzi and Zetterberg ground out the puck down low, Zetterberg got the puck, centered it once, then found Nyquist, he deked once and twice, Ericsson helped, and Detroit continued to cycle, with Bertuzzi helping Ericsson keep the puck in.
  • Zetterberg and Nyquist ground the puck out down low, but Toronto emerged with the puck…

Kapanen raced in and put the puck off the goalpost, and Toronto worked the 6-on-5 until Detroit took a penalty.

Daley was called for holding at 9:47.

  • At 9:47, Detroit was out-shooting Toronto 8-4 in the 3rd and 38-27 overall; attempts 59-57 Detroit.
  • The Wings won the initial PK faceoff and cleared the Leafs’ first foray into the offensive zone via an Ericsson clear.
  • Toronto regrouped at center and skated into the Wings’ zone, but went offside.
  • Nielsen, Helm, Ericsson and DeKeyser lost the next blueline faceoff, and DeKeyser jabbed and jammed the puck away, faciliating an Ericsson clear.
  • Detroit then let Gardiner skate in and tip a puck wide, and Gardiner stayed deep, affording the Wings an easy clear.
  • Matthews helmed the puck into the offensive zone, Toronto centered the puck, and Howard made a magnificent stop on Kadri!
  • With 24 remaining in the PK, Glendening drew in, lost the draw, and blocked a slap shot by Brown;
  • Howard then stopped Marner, and the Wings cleared the zone, killing the penalty.
  • Toronto still skated into the Wings’ zone, with Kadri firing wide, Toronto retrieving, and Detroit blocking a shot, with Helm racing away 1-on-2. Andersen stopped Helm.
  • At 12:07, Detroit was out-shooting Toronto 8-5 in the 3rd and 38-28 overall; attempts 61-59 Toronto; hits 17-12 Detroit; giveaways 16-10 Toronto, takeaways 6-2 Toronto; blocked shots 18-9 Detroit; faceoffs 31-31 (50%).
  • Zetterberg took the post-TV timeout draw in Toronto territory, lost it, but held the puck in, and fed Nyquist for a mucky puck that the Leafs ground away.
  • When the Leafs skated to center ice, they raced into Detroit’s zone, and…

FSD’s feed went out.

Kronwall was unable to stop the Leaf 2-on-2, Bertuzzi missed Marleau’s pass and Witkowski dove too quickly to allow Kadri to stuff Marleau’s pass into an empty net.

 Marleau made it 4-3 at 12:34 from Kadri.

  • Detroit won the post-goal faceoff, and Larkin coughed up the puck for another 3-on-2 Toronto, but Ericsson and Daley covered up.
  • Toronto continued to cycle, and Helm chipped the puck to the line but not out, so Toronto sent another attempt wide of Howard, ground the puck out down low, and Helm luckily snagged the puck and cleared it.
  • Detroit changed with 6:00 remaining in regulation, and Toronto chipped and chased, with Jensen jabbing the puck free to Abdelkader. He found DeKeyser, DeKeyser fed Abdelkader, and he sent a shot wide of the goal.
  • Jensen chipped the puck deep for Nielsen with 5:30 remaining, Nielsen fed AA and he was blocked, and Detroit went offside with 5:19 remaining.
  • With 5:19 remaining, Detroit out-shot Toronto 10-6 in the 3rd and 40-29 overall; attempts 64-61 Toronto; hits 18-12 Detroit; giveaways 18-10 Toronto, takeaways 9-2 Toronto; blocked shots 18-10 Detroit; faceoffs 34-31 Toronto (48%).
  • Zetterberg, Bertuzzi and DeKeyser pushed the puck deep off the blueline draw, and Bertuzzi held the puck in for DeKeyser, but his shot was tipped into the crowd.
  • Detroit then lost a deep zone draw and the Leafs chugged into the Wings’ zone, with Detroit re-setting, Larkin jabbing the puck deep for Daley pinching from the point, and instead, Hyman played the puck to Gardiner, he backed up, and Toronto set up with 4:20 remaining.
  • Toronto was eating clock.
  • Gardiner chipped, Toronto chased, centered the puck, and Abdelkader and Athanasiou sent the puck deep for Nielsen, but Andersen played the puck, Abdelkader tried to find Jensen and instead he fired the puck all the way down the ice.
  • Kronwall and Nyquist skated up ice, Nyquist flipped a long bomb in on Andersen…
  • AND ANDERSEN GLOVED THE PUCK BUT SLID INTO THE GOAL…
  • After the whistle blew.
  • The Leafs won the next draw, Daley battled with Zetterberg and Bertuzzi and Nyquist to keep the puck in Toronto territory, and instead, Marner raced in, his shot was blocked off the glass, Zetterberg fed Nyquist, he iced the puck but Rielly played it before the icing line…
  • And with under 3 minutes remaining…
  • Helm, Larkin and Mantha could not get the puck through center.
  • At least not without Andersen playing it to his defenders.
  • Toronto iced the puck, but the refs ruled that Mantha could play the puck, so Detroit chipped and chased, Larkin could not beat Gardiner, Zaitsev and Matthews cleared, AA chipped and chased…
  • And there were 2 minutes remaining.
  • Daley had to stop a Kadri rush, Nielsen was dumped, Athanasiou raced through center but Andersen played the puck, AA gave it to the Leafs, and Detroit went offside with 1:37 remaining.
  • Matthews and Zetterberg drew in for a blueline draw, with Howard at the hash marks, and Daley’s dump-in did not yield a goalie out.
  • Nyquist holding the puck in did, and the Leafs cleared once, twice…
  • Daley and Kronwall set up with 1:15 remaining, the Wings could not penetrate the zone, Larkin chipped, Detroit chased, Marner and Matthews cleared the puck down ice and Mantha sold an icing with 52.6 left.
  • Larkin, Mantha, Zetterberg, Nielsen and company lost the draw but wrested possession back, Mantha fed Zetterberg, back it went, and forth, Zetterberg fed Nielsen, and Toronto cleared.
  • Nyquist skated through center and in, but Toronto cleared to the line, Larkin held, Mantha chipped, Zetterberg chased, Marleau skated to center, and the Wings ran out of time.
  • 13 straight home wins for Toronto, 10 straight road losses for Detroit.

The 3rd period in summary: The Red Wings took a 3-2 lead, but surrendered consecutive goals, and then the catch-up-and-tie-er-up train ran out of time.

Ultimately, Detroit out-shot Toronto 11-6 in the 3rd and 41-29 overall, but Andersen was outstanding, the goals that beat Howard were unstoppable for the most part, and the Leafs were just better than the Red Wings. I hate saying that, at any time of year.

Statistics:

Here’s the Game Summary…

And the Event Summary: 

The final shot attempts were 65-65 on Detroit’s 41-29 shot advantage.

Published by

George Malik

My name is George Malik, and I'm the Malik Report's editor/blogger/poster. I have been blogging about the Red Wings since 2006, and have worked with MLive and Kukla's Korner. Thank you for reading!

2 thoughts on “Red Wings-Maple Leafs quick take: another frustrating loss to Toronto”

  1. On the 4 Goals allowed and other saves. Howard was swimming like a Big Old Slow Tuna. I liked how he started to use the wrong end of his stick.

    Andersson played an Under Control game for Leafs.

    I must admit Errorsson showed he failed as a Goalie.

    Is it over yet?

  2. Well hell, the Wings were in it and it was a sorta fun game, but the end result is still the same as it ever was… oy.

    I have to say, there were a few times when Wings had clear, high percentage, open looks and decide to pass the puck or get fancy… I remember several times yelling, ‘shoot the puck’!

    Don Cherry was pretty good…

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