Första Perioden

We open with the third line getting an upgrade in William Nylander to up the Swede quotient to start the game. They'll sort themselves out into regular lines later.

Gio gets in a near fight with... Alex DeBrincat? The linsemen break it up.

Spiderman (Nick Robertson) makes a weird pass and then in a few seconds Spiderman (Max Domi) makes a weird pass and gives it away. The Spidermen meme line needs to shoot occasionally.

Mitch Marner takes a penalty and gives Detroit the first power play.

Leafs are under siege for almost the full two minutes with the best PKer in the box, but they survive.

At this point, if you're watching, you should be getting over thinking the Red Wings are terrible.

Detroit takes the next penalty for slashing, and the Leafs get their first sustained offensive push on the power play.

The Spidermen do a much better job in creating a scoring chance for Domi as the Leafs are starting to punch trough to the offensive zone a bit more.

Tyler Bertuzzi takes a slashing call, which is at least 30% for Määttä dropping his stick. The Marner-led PK is much, much better.

Matt Knies makes a between the legs blind pass to a Detroit player just as the horn blows. Saved by the clock.

Thoughts

Detroit dominated the play at times, but their offensive quality was poor. The Leafs seem to find their game about halfway in, and turned the game a little. Still zero-zero means none of that really matters much.

Andra Perioden

JT Compher takes a holding penalty a few seconds in, so the Leafs get to try out the power play again.

Domi and Moritz Seider get into it and Domi takes him right down to the ice. Domi had the gloves off, but Seider did not, and it was mostly wrestling not fighting. They both get four minutes each for a plethora of misdeeds.

Nice Go Leafs Go chant going, so typical for a Red Wings home game.

Giordano gets conned by Lucas Raymond into popping him in the face about as hard as you can imagine your average five-year-old hitting her brother. Two minutes for being a bit of a sucker, I guess.

The Matthews line finally gets a scoring chance (they've been dull) and the net is knocked off. Jake Walman goes hard into the net, and that looks like an accident and like he's hurt.

Meanwhile, it looks like the shot could have been a goal.

The review says no goal. Possibly because the puck touched the goalie.

On the next play, a scrum at the Leafs net, Morgan Rielly covers the puck, and the Red Wings get a penalty shot.

Everyone's darling Daniel Sprong really rather clumsily outdoes Samsonov.

1-0 Red Wings

Raymond does more than draw penalties, he also scores with his mom up there in the stands.

2-0 Red Wings

Sammy looks pretty bad here. Edited to add the panel analysis of this goal was dumb. The problem is not RVH, it's that RVH in that situation is there to cover a cross-crease pass because the skate is on the post to push off. Samsonov's choice to use that position says he's not confident in the defence. Maybe he's not wrong, and I'm being to harsh on him.

And then the Leafs get done for too much man, in a traditional Leafs fashion. Nothing to do with the bench. Luckily the Red Wings bring their dull power play out so when Samsonov is 80 miles out of position, he gets away with it.

This one ends with a whimper.

Thoughts

The panel think that no-goal was a goal. This is another case of the burden of proof to overturn the call on the ice is higher. So... no, guys, it wasn't ever going to be called a goal. Nice yellow arrow, though.

Detroit got a lot more quality shooting in that one. They took that period legitimately, all the goal or hand on the puck film analysis aside.

Tredje Perioden

William Nylander finally gets a shot on goal.

Samsonov takes a puck to his chest, and he's hurt, the trainer is out. He seems to have taken that puck off the pads, so... not a big issue as it turns out.

Second line goal! Streak continues! Bertuzzi scores!

2-1 Red Wings

The Tavares line has been the only line this game.

Knies gives the puck away in a rookie-like fashion. Speaking of some of the first line's problems.

David Kämpf gets a post. So maybe this game has some more life in it.

Second line nearly gets another chance.

And again. They need to play the final 11 minutes straight through.

Is that... it is, Auston Matthews with a scoring chance cruelly taken away by Alex Lyon.

Matt Knies draws a penalty, and the fact it's on a pissy-looking Seider just makes it sweeter.

Måååål! Nylander, of course.

Tie Game

JT JT JT, the captain gets the go-ahead goal. Who needs another line?

3-2 Tavares, Nylander, Bertuzzi

Detroit pulls Lyon with less than a minute and a half.

Nylander fans on a clear, and Samsonov makes the easy save.

Rielly with the clear and the horn blows on the win.

Both teams line up for the three stars:

Lucas Raymond, John Tavares, and guess who?

Thoughts

Hiding in the shadow of Nylander, the other William has saved the Leafs during injuries to the defence. The Leafs should re-sign William Lagesson on January 1.

Tyler Bertuzzi with an excellent game.

See you Sunday dark and early at 8 am.

Game Coverage