The Red Wings looked to rally from Saturday’s loss to Carolina by hosting the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday evening.
Toronto came into Sunday night’s game coming off a 7-5 win over Ottawa, and the Leafs had won 2 straight games.
On Sunday night at Little Caesars Arena, well..Wow. Detroit won an electric game in OT, rallying from 1-0 and 2-1 deficits to defeat the Maple Leafs 3-2 in overtime on a Simon Edvinsson goal.
The Leafs would open the scoring only 4:25 into the 1st as Matthew Knies took a pass from Auston Matthews and scored a power play marker on Cam Talbot…
Detroit would tie the game on a big booming wrist shot from Moritz Seider at 19:01 of the 1st…
But Nick Robertson would score the go-ahead-marker at 4:53 of the 3rd period on a pass from Tavares…But Mason Appleton would respond right back with a chipper shot, and in overtime…
Simon Edvinsson took a pass attempt from Toronto’s Dennis Hildeby, their goaltender, and skated back into the slot and scored at 1:45 to end the game and cap an unlikely comeback (for him and the Wings alike):
ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?! pic.twitter.com/Iu64tklF1I
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) December 29, 2025
SIMON EDVINSSON WINS IT IN @ENERGIZER OVERTIME! π pic.twitter.com/aawtE1PFZ8
— NHL (@NHL) December 29, 2025
SIMON SAYS: GAME OVER π€
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) December 29, 2025
Simon Edvinsson scores the Subway Canada OT winner for the Red Wings pic.twitter.com/h8Hd0MPoX4
βItβs a long way from the heart.β ππ»π€£
— Daniella Bruce (@daniellabruce_) December 29, 2025
Simon Edvinsson left tonightβs game after blocking a shot and came back to score the overtime game winner. ππ» the @DetroitRedWings beat the Leafs 3-2. #LGRW @FanDuelSN_DET pic.twitter.com/1OtLY11tWM
PREGAME: Cam Talbot and Dennis Hildeby led their respective teams out onto the ice at LCA:
HERE COME YOUR #REDWINGS! pic.twitter.com/TvClqbyQur
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) December 28, 2025
Toronto posted its starters…
Tonightβs Lineup@Molson_Canadian | #LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/ICUNjlFhBt
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) December 29, 2025
And the Red Wings issued good news before posting their lineup…
88 back. pic.twitter.com/UXGi15jUC2
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) December 28, 2025
So James van Riemsdyk remains out with a lower-body injury, but Kane was back in for Sunday night’s game.
Lineup vs. the Leafs β€΅οΈ pic.twitter.com/8169pibvkq
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) December 28, 2025
1ST PERIOD:
The teams dressed the following starters and lineups:

Toronto held the tempo up as the game began, and Detroit had a sleepy start, affording Laughton a deke-and-dangle into the Wings’ slot, where he rang a shot off the crossbar behind Cam Talbot…
backhand off the post pic.twitter.com/KNJlwK9k5q
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) December 29, 2025
But the teams ended the 1st in a draw because neither Toronto, which had the better of the scoring chances, or Detroit, which got some isolated chances, could really find the energy to push through each other. It was a deadlock after 1.
Dennis through 20: A Beast! pic.twitter.com/1MJ5itVLnw
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) December 29, 2025
After 1 pic.twitter.com/IH4gy1UzYh
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) December 29, 2025
1st period stats:
— George Malik (@georgemalik) December 29, 2025
Shots 9-8 Toronto;
Shot attempts 19-16 Toronto;
Hits 13-8 Toronto;
Giveaways 5-2 Detroit;
Takeaways 3-2 Toronto;
Blocks 2-2;
Faceoffs 10-10 (50%). pic.twitter.com/O0HQmEmel2
2ND PERIOD:
PENALTY: Ben Chiarot took a tripping penalty at 3:29 of the 2nd period.
Chiarot to the box for tripping pic.twitter.com/Cp1HIu9HSA
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) December 29, 2025
GOAL: On the power play, Matthew Knies got a centering pass from both Auston Matthews and John Tavares and chipped the puck through Cam Talbot to make it 1-0 Toronto at 4:25.
KNIESY DOES IT AGAIN!@OREO | #LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/5ZtvNqCeTa
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) December 29, 2025
VERY KNIES π pic.twitter.com/9gTqn7n386
— NHL (@NHL) December 29, 2025
solid passes in tight between Tavares, Matthews and Knies pic.twitter.com/0IAc0jLyzs
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) December 29, 2025
Toronto 1, Detroit 0: Knies (10) from Matthews (12) and Tavares (19) at 4:25 of the 2nd, PPG.
PENALTY: J.T. Compher was called for slashing at 9:31 of the 2nd period. Easy call.
INJURY: Simon Edvinsson took a shot off the ankle and was hobbled by the shot to his right knee, but he did a great job of blocking a pass despite not being able to put weight on his leg.
Edvinsson gets hurt on a blocked shot and then BLOCKS ANOTHER SHOT WHILE DOWN WITH HIS STICK
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) December 29, 2025
Hockey Tough π€π³ pic.twitter.com/HtLu88mnfN
Simon Edvinsson couldn't even STAND after taking a 86MPH one-timer off the knee and he STILL managed to block another shot with his stick π€―πͺ pic.twitter.com/KatDe4o51b
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) December 29, 2025
RETURN: Edvinsson somehow returned to the bench..And played more than 16 minutes over the course of the first 2 periods of play…
And Cam Talbot made a hell of a stop on a remarkable, ridiculous Auston Matthews play:
haven't seen Matthews do something like this since his rookie season pic.twitter.com/Dio39mmEg2
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) December 29, 2025
GOAL: Moritz Seider ripped a shot through an Emmitt Finnie screen at 19:00 of the 2nd period to tie the game 1-1. Seider’s shot was tipped accidentally by McCabe’s hip.
HOW 'BOUT A MO SEIDER?!
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) December 29, 2025
TIE GAME pic.twitter.com/QlAkqJvEMq
Mπ― #LGRW pic.twitter.com/sjOCw3G28P
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) December 29, 2025
SEIDER WITH A ROCKET TO TIE THE GAME π pic.twitter.com/u3YQEmna7K
— NHL (@NHL) December 29, 2025
FYI: Moritz Seider (7-23β30 in 40 GP) joined Lucas Raymond (11-31β42), Alex DeBrincat (20-20β40) and Dylan Larkin (20-16β36) as the fourth #RedWings player with 30 points this season! #LGRW pic.twitter.com/d2U4gdVzOB
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) December 29, 2025
Toronto 1, Detroit 1: Seider (7) from Raymond (31) at 19:00 of the 2nd.
INJURY: In the final moments of the 2nd period, Oliver Ekman-Larsson cross-checked Michael Rasmussen into the boards, and he toe-picked:
Rasmussen needed help getting off the ice after this pic.twitter.com/jwXX0ifpaH
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) December 29, 2025
The fact that “OEL” got away with the play is just salt in the wound.
After 2 pic.twitter.com/reWNKuV3yg
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) December 29, 2025
2nd period stats:
— George Malik (@georgemalik) December 29, 2025
Shots 13-9 Detroit in the 2nd period, shots 21-17 Detroit overall.
Toronto 1-for-2 in 2:56 PP time.
Shot attempts 42-37 Toronto;
Hits 24-16 Toronto;
Giveaways 7-7;
Takeaways 5-2 Toronto;
Blocks 12-5 Detroit;
Faceoffs 23-21 Detroit (52%). pic.twitter.com/HTEgn0dclm
3RD PERIOD:
RETURN: Rasmussen returned to the bench early in the 3rd period.
GOAL: Off a steal from Axel Sandin Pellikka, John Tavares ripped a slot pass to Nick Robinson, who riffled a shot through and over Cam Talbot at 4:53 of the 3rd.
STEP RIGHT UP. πͺ pic.twitter.com/a109oTcUKy
— Sports on Prime Canada (@SportsOnPrimeCA) December 29, 2025
A ROBO RIP! π₯@OREO | #LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/dZCvUuBgmG
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) December 29, 2025
Toronto 2, Detroit 1: Robertson (8) from Tavares (20) at 4:53 3rd period.
GOAL: ON the rush, Michael Rasmussen managed to get the puck over to Mason Appleton at the blueline, and he roared in on Hildeby and ripped it through the Leafs’ goalie to tie the game at 2 at 5:16 of the 3rd.
APPLETON!!! pic.twitter.com/cdda8Tnmll
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) December 29, 2025
Mason Appleton gets it back pic.twitter.com/YqB1xFDigD
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) December 29, 2025
How you like them Appys! #LGRW pic.twitter.com/7jUoDtu6e5
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) December 29, 2025
πππππππ pic.twitter.com/ataY4BkBz2
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) December 29, 2025
Toronto 2, Detroit 2: Appleton (4) from Rasmussen (7) and Johansson (5) at 5:16 3rd period.
Then this happened…
McMann was called for roughing and holding the stick
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) December 29, 2025
Seider was called for roughing pic.twitter.com/mCcd93a76J
Rule 51 states that punching and making contact with head/neck area using the top of the blocker is a match penalty. Thatβsβ¦awfully close. pic.twitter.com/vzkpFN8quP
— Rachel Kryshak (@RachelKryshak) December 29, 2025
PENALTIES: Seider got 2 for roughing and McMann got 2 for roughing 2 for holding the stick at 10:14.
To @xfinity overtime! pic.twitter.com/OkHLQ7rhdA
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) December 29, 2025
3rd period stats… pic.twitter.com/QuyColkgwP
— George Malik (@georgemalik) December 29, 2025
OVERTIME:
GOAL: With 1:45 gone in OT, Edvinsson picked off a Hildeby pass, skated into the slot, deked, got past Knies, and walked in and SCORED THE OT WINNER AT 1:45 of OT.
SIMON BEAUTY!!!!! pic.twitter.com/bTl7i8Dg12
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) December 29, 2025
WILD ENDING IN THE WINGS AND LEAFS WITH EDVINSSON PUTTING IT HOME π±π¨ pic.twitter.com/pvVsiDcjU9
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) December 29, 2025
SIMON SAYS GAME OVER pic.twitter.com/bFDehl4LTq
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) December 29, 2025
ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?! pic.twitter.com/Iu64tklF1I
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) December 29, 2025
Toronto 2, Detroit 3: Edvinsson (5) unassisted at 1:45 of OT.
HEY, HEY! #REDWINGS WIN!!! #LGRW pic.twitter.com/hA0bRc07ud
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) December 29, 2025
The @DetroitRedWings win this one in oooooovertime! π pic.twitter.com/sOYx5BlKhT
— NHL (@NHL) December 29, 2025
Statistics: Here are the Game Summary and Event Summary:


FINAL STATS from Detroit's 3-2 OT win over Toronto:
— George Malik (@georgemalik) December 29, 2025
Shots 36-27 Detroit. Shots in OT were 3-1 Detroit.
Shot attempts 71-58 Detroit;
Hits 24-14 Toronto;
Giveaways 15-11 Detroit;
Takeaways 5-4 Toronto;
Blocked shots 14-12 Detroit;
Faceoffs 32-28 Detroit (53%). pic.twitter.com/NU9fMYXvvO
Individually…
— George Malik (@georgemalik) December 29, 2025
Shots: 5 shots for Copp, 4 for Edvinsson and Kane (5 attempts for Edvinsson), 3 for Seider (5 attempts) and Appleton (4 att) and Raymond (6 attempts);
4 hits for Finnie, 2 for Appleton;
2 giveaways for Copp, JBD, Compher, Kane;
3 takeaways for Chiarot; 1 for⦠https://t.co/dqLu7Zgg5a
Edvinsson called game, as captured by Dave Reginek: pic.twitter.com/pmYgNY8oWw
— George Malik (@georgemalik) December 29, 2025