We can now look ahead to the regular season, as the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Detroit Red Wings 3-2 on Saturday night to close out the preseason. Steven Lorentz, Auston Matthews and John Tavares got on the board for the Maple Leafs, while Joseph Woll made 18 saves.
Tavares fired a textbook wrist shot from inside the faceoff circle, beating Ville Husso for the go-ahead goal on the power play, just under five minutes into the third period. It was Tavares’ second goal of the preseason, coming off an outstanding pass from Matthews that cut through the Red Wings’ defense.
Woll received his first full start of the preseason and it began inauspiciously. Max Pacioretty turned the puck over in his own zone and Detroit’s Christian Fischer redirected an Andrew Copp shot for the game’s opening goal. It was the Red Wings’ first shot of the game but Woll rallied back, closing the door on Detroit’s Albert Johansson midway through the opening frame.
Toronto’s fourth line made a number of splash plays — Ryan Reaves and Steven Lorentz particularly working well in tandem. Reaves crushed Red Wings defenceman Brogan Rafferty, Rafferty coughed up the puck, and Reaves fed Lorentz for Toronto’s equalizing goal in the first period. The final roster has yet to be announced, but Lorentz and Reaves could end up flanking David Kampf on Toronto’s fourth line during Wednesday’s season opener, with the team boasting a surplus of NHL-ready forwards.
Reaves was crashing the net constantly and tried to muscle his way into high-danger opportunities throughout the contest. It was a particularly encouraging result against a Red Wings team that rested most of their NHL regulars Saturday.
Auston Matthews can make the toughest games look easy and he was a cut above the rest of the competition, wiring home a perfect one-timer off a Mitch Marner feed to tie the game at 2-2. Matthews finished with a goal and an assist, while Marner registered two assists.
Matthews and Marner will begin the season alongside Matthew Knies, who earned props from head coach Craig Berube for his tenacity on the cycle, which led to a drawn penalty in the second period.
Detroit called a timeout with 1:14 remaining in the third period as Toronto held onto the narrow, one-goal lead and pulled Husso for a 6-on-5 scenario and it caused some panic. Matthews almost scored an empty net goal, but with 19.7 seconds remaining, Conor Timmins roofed the puck over the glass, creating a 6-on-4 situation for the Red Wings.
There are some things to clean up, but ultimately the Maple Leafs conclude the preseason with four consecutive victories and it’ll be compelling to see who makes the final cut ahead of Monday’s deadline.
