In Toronto, Dylan Larkin h scored twice in the third period to help the Detroit Red Wings to a 5-2 win on Sunday over the Maple Leafs.
“It’s a great feeling coming here and beating a team like that,” Larkin said. “It’s always fun coming in here and winning and quieting the home fans.”
The Maple Leafs had closed to within 3-2 in the third before Larkin hit for the pair, to complete a hat trick for Detroit.
Alex Nedeljkovic made 42 saves in the Detroit win.
“I’m so happy for ‘Ned,’ and obviously (he was) a big factor why we stay in those games lately,” Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider said. “Ever since he came back, he’s owned the net. He’s been robbing guys, saving games. It’s been really fun to watch.”
The Red Wings moved to 34-33-9.
Detroit’s Olli Maatta , and the Maple Leafs’ Calle Jarnkrok traded first period goals for a 1-1 tie.
Jonatan Berggren scored at 12:45 of the first for a 3-1 lead to Detroit.
Larkin then hit for his first of the night to make it 3-1 to the Red Wings coming out of the first period.
The Maple Leafs dropped to 45-21-10.
“We missed a breakaway, we missed a penalty shot in the first period, so even though we’d given up a bunch, we probably deserved to have more than we had, and then from there I thought they defended extremely hard,” Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said. “We didn’t generate much of quality tonight at 5-on-5. … In terms of where I put it, we lost a game on home ice, and that’s not acceptable any time.”
After a scoreless second period. John Tavares scored six minutes into the frame to trim the deficit to 3-2 for the Maple Leafs.
“We weren’t ready to go from the get-go,” Jarnkrok said. “In the second and the third, I think we played well enough to win. That start wasn’t good enough.”
Larkin then scored midway through the third for a 4-2 advantage.
Larkin then added an empty-net strike for the 5-2 final, and his hat trick.
“It’s pretty special to do it here, my grandma was here,” Larkin said. “She’s 88 now and she came to the rink. I got to see her yesterday, and it’s always pretty special when you get to do that. That was pretty cool.”
Matt Murray got the start for Toronto, and surrendered two goals and made fives saves before departing the ice after a collision with Detroit’s Lucas Raymond
“You don’t like seeing that,” Tavares said. “So unexpected … there’s no opportunity for him to brace the impact or sense that it’s coming. Hopefully he’s OK and it’s just precautionary.
“He’s played some real solid hockey for us this year and just hasn’t really been able to get traction that way because some of the things he’s been dealing with. And then a tough bounce like that one.”
Ilya Samsonov made 13 saves, yielding two goals, in relief.
“You need a quick change in your brain,” Samsonov said. “It’s not the easiest, really hard, but we need to do this. You need to get ready for everything.”
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