In Toronto, the NHL’s Centennial Classic was almost ended in regulation until the Detroit Red Wings tied the game at 4-4 with one second left on the clock.
It took an Auston Matthews‘ goal with just over one minute left in extra time to seal the win for the Toronto Maple Leafs, 5-4.
“Definitely one of the best moments in hockey I’ve ever experienced. It’s pretty special,” Matthews said. “For us to come out and get that win, it was a pretty exciting game and people were on the edge of their seats there in the third period and overtime. It was just really fun to experience this whole thing.”
Detroit tied the game on a goal from Anthony Mantha with 1.1 seconds on the clock.
“It’s disappointing losing. It’s really disappointing losing in overtime. It’s probably disappointing after you’ve fought your way back to not win it, but at the end of the day, we found a way to a point. This league is about getting points, and we need to get them about as consistently as we can, so we need to take from this game, make sure we accentuate the positives, make sure we learn from the negatives,” Detroit head coach Jeff Blashill said of the loss after the late rally.
The third period was wild affair as the Leafs scored four straight goals in the third after trailing 1-0 heading to the final frame.
The four goals came off the sticks of Leo Komarov, Mitchell Marner, Connor Brown and Matthews to give the Leafs a 4-1 lead.
“What was great about tonight’s game for us was … at playoff time in the NHL, you’re always up one or down one, and you’ve got to love the duress, the grind, love digging in and knowing you can get it done,” Toronto coach Mike Babcock said. “So that was a good opportunity for our team.
“We got a lesson here tonight and still won the game for our fans.”
WATCH: All Centennial Classic highlights
Jonathan Ericsson and Dylan Larkin made it 4-3 before the last second heroics by Mantha.
“At the end, we were just trying to put pucks towards the net and create chaos, and that’s exactly what happened,” Mantha said.
Jared Coreau took the loss on 23 saves and Frederik Andersen made 33 stops for the win.
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