There are some rivalries that are best summarized with the city name. For me, on this Michigan vs. Michigan State Game Day, my focus is up Highway 401, toward the first sports rivalry I really embraced: Detroit vs. Toronto.
My first hockey game as a Red Wings fan took place 30 years ago vs. Toronto at Joe Louis Arena, and
The Red Wings open a 4-game road trip in Hogtown vs. the Maple Leafs tonight (7 PM EDT on Bally Sports Detroit/CBC/97.1 FM), and an old friend will be in the nets for the Maple Leafs:
Petr Mrázek will make his blue pads debut tonight. pic.twitter.com/sdWTaDSxro— David Alter (@dalter) October 30, 2021
Petr Mrazek getting set for his Maple Leafs home debut … returns from groin injury tonight
4-2-1 in his career against the Red Wings pic.twitter.com/1eZCfkDODH— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) October 30, 2021
The Leafs “Took an Optional,” as Mike Babcock was wont to do before big games, per the Toronto Sun’s Terry Kohsan…
#Leafs optional this morning. Muzzin, Holl among those taking it.— Terry Koshan (@koshtorontosun) October 30, 2021
And TSN’s Mark Masters:
Jake Muzzin among those taking part in the Leafs optional skate this morning
Others on the ice this AM: Spezza, Sandin, Kerfoot, Bunting, Kampf, Holl, Campbell, Hutchinson pic.twitter.com/KisY2qSniZ— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) October 30, 2021
There are already Red Wings-Maple Leafs game previews up this morning, and an article in which Sportsnet’s Justin Bourne questions whether the Maple Leafs are “playing slow hockey.” NHL.com’s Dave McCarthy also penned an article which is a kind-of-sort-of game preview from the Maple Leafs’ perspective, with none other than Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas demanding more from his team…
The Maple Leafs begin a five-game homestand when they face the Detroit Red Wings (4-2-1) on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; CBC, BSDET, ESPN+, NHL LIVE).
“It’s on us now to show what we are made of and build off the comeback on Wednesday and start to stack wins together,” said Dubas, who in September acknowledged that his job may be in jeopardy if the Maple Leafs again fail in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Toronto has lost five consecutive postseason series, following seasons each with a points percentage of at least .579 and finishing no lower than third place in their division. The Maple Leafs last won the Stanley Cup in 1967.
Toronto’s key forwards can help by producing more. Tavares scored Wednesday, and Auston Matthews and Mitchell Marner each had an assist. Prior to that, Tavares scored three points (one goal, two assists) in seven games this season; Matthews scored one goal in four games; and Marner had one assist in seven games.
The Maple Leafs power play is 0-for-17 in the past six games and 3-for-25 (26 percent) this season, tied for 26th in the NHL with the Seattle Kraken.
[Captain John] Tavares said there is much work to be done.
“We got a big two points (Wednesday), but there’s no question we have to tighten our game up,” Tavares said. “It’s not the effort and commitment but some of our execution in certain areas defensively with the access to our net has to get better. It’s too frequent relying on our goaltending.”
Field Level Media also posted a game preview…
The Toronto Maple Leafs will have some lineup changes when they host the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday night.
Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe will pair Timothy Liljegren with Rasmus Sandin on defense, and struggling Justin Holl will be benched.
Two new defense tandems will include Morgan Rielly with Travis Dermott and Jake Muzzin with TJ Brodie.
“We have not played well enough as a unit defensively,” Keefe said. “That’s as a team. That includes the forwards and their contributions as well. The D corps has not played well enough.
“It’s not just Justin Holl. But he has not played near his level we have come to expect. He has earned a greater degree of expectations and responsibility through his play, but has not been to that level to start with.”
Petr Mrazek, who has not played since he sustained a groin injury on Oct. 14 in a game against the Ottawa Senators, will start in goal.
The Leafs are 3-4-1 and had to rally to defeat the struggling Chicago Blackhawks 3-2 in overtime on Wednesday. That ended Toronto’s four-game losing streak.
As did DetroitRedWings.com’s Josh Berenter:
Toronto enters its first matchup of 2021-22 against Detroit at 4-3-1 on the season. The Maple Leafs defeated the Blackhawks in a 3-2 overtime victory on Wednesday after losing four straight games from October 18-25. The Red Wings come in at 4-2-2 this season, picking up five points in their last three games.
This is the first matchup between the Original Six rivals since December 21, 2019, as the two clubs played in separate divisions during the COVID-affected 2020-21 season. The Red Wings went 0-3 against the Maple Leafs in 2019-20 and are looking for their first victory in Toronto in more than 1,000 days.
Leading the Maple Leafs this season is seventh-year center William Nylander with six points (3-3-6). Goalie Jack Campbell has seen a majority of the work between the pipes for the Maple Leafs with six starts, coming into Saturday’s game at 3-2-1 with a 2.31 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage.
Veteran goalies Michael Hutchinson and former Red Wings netminder Petr Mrazek have each made one start in relief for Toronto this season.
The Red Wings’ rivalry with the Maple Leafs dates back 94 years, when the Original Six clubs first met in 1927. Toronto is the second-most-played opponent for Detroit all-time, with 672 meetings in the series (behind Chicago with 748 matchups), and the series could not be closer as the Wings are 286-286-93-7 all-time against the Maple Leafs.
