Power play on display again
But the second unit outscores the first in victory over Wings
Relentless.
That’s how the Maple Leafs attack looked on Friday night. Relentless on the power play. Relentless on the penalty kill. Relentless at even strength, be it 5-on-5 or 4-on-4.
And the Detroit Red Wings were no match when the goals came fast and furious in the second period, and Toronto skated off with a 6-2 win thanks to two goals from Jake Gardiner.
It made for a festive atmosphere at Scotiabank Arena as fans did The Wave and chanted “We Want the Cup.”
Nazem Kadri scored at even strength, and that was pretty enough in the first period. Set up by Connor Brown and Josh Leivo on a tic-tac-toe passing play, it was a stark reminder for opponents that the top three lines for the Leafs can be very dangerous.
The second period belong to the Leafs’ special teams, which scored four times in four minutes to break a 1-1 tie:
Gardiner scored on a power play at 12:47.
John Tavares scored on a two-man advantage at 14:58.
Patrick Marleau added another on the power play 15:25.
Par Lindholm scored shorthanded at 16:41.
Gardiner scored again in the third period, this time 4-on-4 with both benches much emp- tier. Nazem Kadri and Brown were among those that picked up 10-minute misconducts following some late-game fisticuffs, with the game out of hand as far as Detroit was concerned.
Almost lost in there was that the second power-play unit outscored the first. And Leivo, better known as a shooter, had three assists.
Besides exercising their offensive muscle, there were other subplots with positive outcomes for the Leafs. Kasperi Kapanen looked right at home on the left wing with Tavares and Marner. Kapanen was getting a shot there because Zach Hyman was out with a hip pointer.
Frederik Gauthier, hurt most of training camp, got a look-see on the fourth line, though on the wing, a position he is unfamiliar with but one he had better get accustomed to now given the Leafs’ depth at centre.
Defenceman Travis Dermott also saw his first game action since hurting his shoulder early in camp.
The Leafs have six wins in seven exhibition games — the lone loss featured a lineup more likely to play at the Coca Cola Coliseum rather than Scotiabank Arena. One game is left, Saturday in Detroit, and that lineup is expected to skew closer to that of the Marlies.
The regular season opens Wednesday, home to Montreal.