Matthews beats Red Wings ... again
3-2 VICTORY: Detroit nemesis scores game-winner for Maple Leafs with 31 seconds remaining
DETROIT — No surprise that it was Auston Matthews who scored the winner for the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday night.
Matthews has been giving it to the Detroit Red Wings since his initial days in the National Hockey League.
When Matthews roofed a shot over goalie Petr Mrazek with 31 seconds remaining in the third period at Little Caesars Arena, it was his seventh goal in six career games against Detroit.
With the 3-2 win, the Leafs improved to 6-4-1 in the second game of back-to-back sets, this after they were 6-11-1 last season.
“We’re better,” coach Mike Babcock said during his media availability two hours before the game. “We have better players, we’re older, we’re a better team.”
What about the work of Curtis McElhinney?
“He has done a good job since he’s been here. He is just a good man who helps Freddie, does not get in the way of what Freddie is trying to do, is a good pro to our guys, makes our guys better and when it’s his turn, he is ready to go,” said Babcock.
The Wings tied the game 2-2 at 9:17 of the third period when Henrik Zetterberg found a hiding spot behind the Leafs defence and tapped a pass from Gustav Nyquist into an open net behind McElhinney.
The Leafs carried a 2-1 lead into the second intermission after spotting the Wings a 1-0 lead — Anthony Mantha had the goal — scoring goals 18 seconds apart.
The first came at 7:02 when a shot by Jake Gardiner deflected into the Wings net off the stick shaft of James van Riemsdyk. The goal was van Riemsdyk’s fourth in six games and 24th of the season.
As that goal was being announced, Mitch Marner went to work on Wings defenceman Xavier Ouellet, putting a few moves on Ouellet with the puck on the string.
Thanks to Marner’s patience, Mrazek bit on the play as well, and was not in position to stop Marner from putting the puck into an open net. For Marner, it was his seventh goal in 10 games. Nazem Kadri fed Marner after taking advantage of a Detroit turnover.
Speculation persists about the Leafs’ interest in Wings centre Luke Glendening. More specifically, the reference about the Leafs’ interest should pertain to Babcock, who loved Glendening’s diligence and attention to detail when Babcock was coaching the Wings.
Babcock wouldn’t mind an upgrade on Dominic Moore, but one would think a trade involving
Glendening stops if the Wings insist on getting back, say, a player such as Kasperi Kapanen. Detroit is not going to give away the 28-year-old Glendening, who is under contract through 2020-21 with an annual salary cap hit of $1.8 million US.
Neither team scored in the first period but Toronto was denied a goal at 11:30.
A shot by Matthews hit Mrazek in the mask, causing a strap to come loose. As Hyman was collecting the rebound and shooting the puck into the net, Mrazek was shaking his mask loose and it fell to the ice.
The goal immediately was waived
off. Part of Rule 9.6 in the NHL rule book is as follows: When a goalkeeper has lost his helmet and/or face mask and his team has control of the puck, the play shall be stopped immediately to allow the goalkeeper the opportunity to regain his helmet and/or face mask. When the opposing team has control of the puck, play shall only be stopped if there is no immediate and impending scoring opportunity.
Because it was on a rebound, perhaps the Leafs were not deemed to have control.