At last, we come to the final pre-season game of the year. By the end of it, I felt like I'd watched three different games.

First thing to note - the scratches for tonight's game: Campbell, Corrado, Froese, Greening, Kadri, Leivo, Polak, Prust and Soshnikov. Kadri and Soshnikov we know are injured (the extent of Kadri's injury is still a bit of a mystery) but the other players have to hope that whatever impression they made on the coaching staff it was better than at least one player in tonight's lineup.

My impression in the first period was that this was a team that needs more time together.  One thing we keep forgetting in our enthusiasm over the new shinies is that about half the team (at least in tonight's lineup) weren't in the lineup last October, and our starting goalie had a total of five periods of pre-season hockey coming into tonight, as well as a training schedule interrupted by injury.

Right out of the gate, the Wings just looked a lot more together than the Leafs. They knew their systems, knew how to communicate, knew each other better.  Andersen didn't exactly cover himself in glory on the first goal, but neither did Carrick. The second goal had more to do with penalty killers that haven't settled in quite yet.

The second period was a step up from the first for the first 19 minutes. The Leafs looked more comfortable playing together, putting a lot more pressure on Detroit. Andersen also stopped play a little more often instead of letting play go on and possibly descend into chaos. This nifty little sequence by the Nylander-Matthews-Hyman line that created a goal helped a lot too

The third Red Wings goal was terrible. Not only could Hunwick not keep control of the puck long enough to get it out from behind his own net, Andersen wasn't quick to react. The team seemed to think that the last twenty seconds or so was just a formality before they headed back to the dressing room. If they'd been a bit more careful it would have been.

The third period honestly felt like a regular season game. The pace was quicker, the Leafs clicked as if they'd been playing together for months, and they scored before I was ready!

My friends and I have some basic hockey rules. Number one: don't pass the puck to the guys in the other sweaters. Number two: you score by putting the puck in the net, not putting yourself in the net.  Somehow, the Leafs managed to get around rule two.

I mean, good on Brooks Laich for taking advantage of that opportunity but there's not a lot of times that a sequence like that ends up being called a good goal, so I hope he has other plans for scoring goals this season.

The fourth Red Wing goal was probably as much on Rielly for falling for the faked shot as it was on Andersen for guessing the wrong direction. Andersen had at least three guys between himself and the puck and Rielly reacting to a puck that wasn't actually coming would not have been a helpful cue.

Standouts

This was the last chance for a few players so I'd love to say I have extensive notes on all of them, but I don't.

Brown's one noticeable mistake led to the sequence that resulted in the final Detroit goal, but it wasn't a huge mistake on its own, and hey he did contribute to the third Leafs goal, if only by doing an impression of a puck.

Michalek had a good chance early in the second period. He'll probably stick on the third line - whether he'll be more productive with Kadri than Holland I don't know.

Holland was quieter than last night, less desperate. I was hoping for more than I saw, but maybe that's asking too much on a line with Michalek and Komarov. At least Komarov also had a quiet night and didn't make any stupid hits.

Carrick had a number of chances at the net, and seemed to have a decent game defensively. A couple of awkward plays, especially in the first, but he and Gardiner make a good pair. I wouldn't be shocked if he stays up.

If anyone's still wondering, Hyman's going to make the team. The Nylander-Matthews-Hyman line still needs to develop some more chemistry, but Hyman is clearly slotted into his place there as the hard-working, stuck-to-the-puck guy who can come up with some decent defensive play.

This was the first game that I really saw that Marner's not just a flashy puck handler with a quick shot, he's a really smart player. He knows where to be to get the puck, whether that's receiving a pass or taking it away from an opposing player, and he knows where to put the puck when he's got it.  It helps that he's on a line with JVR and Bozak, an established pair who have worked together for several years now, and who have experience playing with a star player. Where the all-rookie line may need to spend some time ironing out the kinks, Marner's just a missing piece slotting right into that line.

I haven't been particularly impressed with Nylander in the preseason, mostly noticing his unfortunate tendency for drop passes. Tonight he had a better game in the second and third periods above and beyond his goal in the third.

Matthews had quite a few chances at the net and set up a few as well. He was harder to notice than Marner tonight - I only really saw how much he was doing when I rewatched the second and third periods. Possibly I'm expecting him to look more impressive. Again, being on an all-rookie line may factor into that.

I expect that we're going to hear a lot more about special units in practice this week. The power play especially seemed to be just whoever was out there when the penalty was called.

Final note - at the beginning of this game I was really nervous about how opening night was going to go. By the end of it, I was confident that whether or not they win, this team isn't going to embarrass themselves on a nightly basis. They need work (I still think Andersen's problem is more rust than anything) but I think it's going to be a fun season.

Game CoverageMaple Leafs Prospects