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If the Maple Leafs are to find their way out of their first setbacks, their protagonists will have to be at the forefront.
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On Saturday night at the Scotiabank Arena, Captain John Tavares took center stage.
Tavares had his first three-point game since the opener of the 2020-21 season last January, contributing one goal and two assists when the Leafs beat the Detroit Red Wings 5-4.
The victory was the second for the Leafs in as many games after a four-game losing streak in which almost everyone outside the organization questioned the club’s desire.
Petr Mrazek, in his first home game for the Leafs and the first since sustaining a groin injury in Ottawa on Oct. 14, made 26 saves and the Leafs improved to 4-4-1 in the first game of five games. , the maximum of the season. booth at home.
Mitch Marner scored his first goal of the season at the end of the third after Detroit defender Nick Leddy put the puck on his stick behind the Wings net. Filip Hronek of the Wings scored with 29 seconds left.
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The clubs participated in an entertaining third period, as each scored two goals before the 11-minute mark.
Alex Kerfoot gave the Leafs a 3-1 lead in 17 seconds after a pass from Tavares; Joe Veleno from Detroit responded at 1:36.
The Tavares / Kerfoot combo came on again at 7:47 when Tavares landed a Kerfoot pass that passed Thomas Greiss, but the Wings came close again at 10:11 with a goal from Vladislav Namestnikov.
Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe’s decision to make a significant change to the blue line paid off.
Justin Holl was a healthy scratch, with Timothy Liljegren drawing and playing with Rasmus Sandin. The other couples were new-looking as well, with Morgan Rielly placing Travis Dermott on his right and veterans Jake Muzzin and TJ Brodie forming a duo.
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Holl has struggled, but the defense of the team as a whole was bothering Keefe.
“We’ve had too many guys behind us,” Keefe said. “This team is going to challenge us in that area.
“Our forwards have to help the cause. We have some defenders who have not played at the level that we would like them to be or that we expect. But at the same time, they don’t have the same level of support. We have to be much more connected as a defensive team. “
Over periods of time, Keefe got what he wanted. The Leafs passed the vision test, and they didn’t give the Wings many options during the five-on-five game. Keefe hinted in the morning that Holl wouldn’t necessarily come back in, depending on the corps’ performance against Detroit.
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The teams traded power play goals in the second period, with each club scoring on their first male advantage opportunity of the game.
For the Leafs, Michael Bunting ended Toronto’s 0-for-17 streak when he redirected Jason Spezza behind Greiss at 7:42 p.m. of the second. Nick Ritchie also assisted in the goal, scoring his first point for Toronto.
Filip Zadina had tied the game at 8:19 when his shot eluded Mrazek on the side of the glove. That Wings goal came shortly after Pierre Engvall intercepted a pass on the Leafs blue line and sped up the length of the ice on a breakaway, only fired a shot from the post to Greiss’s right.
The Leafs invaded the Wings, who played the night before at home to Florida and lost in overtime in the first 10 minutes.
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Greiss managed to keep Detroit strong, making eight saves in that span. The Wings rallied a bit to put some pressure on Mrazek, but it was the Leafs who deserved to score first depending on the game and that’s what happened when the final seconds marked the end of the period.
Muzzin, who has struggled on the defensive end early on, became the first Leafs defender to score a goal this season when he shot Greiss at 7:46 p.m. Tavares ran a bit of interference up front and Muzzin got his aim right after receiving a pass from Brodie.
It was only the third time in nine games that the Leafs took a 1-0 lead.
“For a guy who’s been this good for so long, you have confidence that he will find it,” Keefe said in the morning, speaking of Muzzin’s uneven performance during the opening eight games. “We are talking about him, reassuring him, pushing him, challenging him.”
Reference-torontosun.com