Injury Woes Return as Maple Leafs Fall 6-3 to Red Wings
Photo credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
With the conclusion of the Toronto Maple Leafs' second game of the season against Detroit, let's take a look at what went down including an injury to a key player.
Saturday night was a busy night in the NHL, with several Original Six matchups which included the Toronto Maple Leafs taking on the Detroit Red Wings as both teams look to build momentum.
Motown must have wanted some serious revenge after their 5-1 loss to Montreal as they came away with a 6-3 victory.
Maple Leafs vs. Red Wings: Game Recap
Toronto jumped out to an early 2-0 lead thanks to goals from Calle Jarnkrok and Nicolas Roy.
However some shaky defense and extensive Detroit pressure pushed the score to 3-2 after two.
Although Toronto managed to tie the game at three apiece after a rare early season Max Domi goal, Lucas Raymond added his second goal to give Detroit the lead.
To say it was a miserable game for the Maple Leafs is an understatement at the very least.
But what were some of the key stories coming out of Saturday night's tilt? Let's take a look.
What's Really Holding the Maple Leafs Back Right Now
With Scott Laughton already nursing an injury that will take several weeks to heal, the Maple Leafs also lost forward Steven Lorentz after taking a hit from Ben Chiarot.
It seemed to be the team's downfall as well, with the defense imploding to give up three unanswered goals, and not having him help out in his own zone gave Detroit so much extra offensive zone time.
It felt like Lorentz, who often goes unheralded for his play, was the glue of the lineup as everything fell apart once he left.
The story in 2025 seems to be much like the one in 2024, where early-season injuries permeate the lineup.
Anthony Stolarz Tries His Best But Defense Lets Him Down
If there was one glaring issue with tonight's game, it was how disappointingly lazy the Toronto defense seemed to be.
Multiple times they were caught puck-watching, and it cost them. Morgan Rielly could be at fault for two of the goals simply due to a lack of awareness, and Simon Benoit's lack of effort led to Detroit's first goal.
The Red Wings absolutely dominated the shot category, and for all the good Anthony Stolarz did, he couldn't do much when he had essentially a sieve in front of him.
He managed to stop 29 of 33 shots, which is a big indicator that the Leafs defense was quite porous, and had nothing to do obviously with the two empty-netters.
Toronto's discipline also cost them, as they took needless penalties and it led to the go-ahead goal and took five penalties as opposed to only three from Detroit.
Utility Players Bringing The Bang So Far
If it wasn't for Nic Roy, Max Domi and Calle Jarnkrok the game could have been a lot worse. All three found the back of the net and seemed to have the only life in the lineup.
Sure the Matthews/Maccelli/Knies line combined for nine shots but they were pointless and a combined minus-2. The second line was even worse, as they were dominated all night.
But luckily, the emergence of Jarnkrok as a secondary offensive piece in the bottom-six and Roy slowly gathering his footing, it could be the sneaky surprise punch Craig Berube needs.
What's Next For Both Teams?
It's a rematch on Monday afternoon as Detroit (1-1-0) will head to Scotiabank Arena to see if they can double up on Toronto (1-1-0) after stunning them on Saturday.
The game is scheduled for a 2PM ET start as the game has been pushed up two hours to accommodate the Toronto Blue Jays' first game in the ALCS.
| POLL | ||
OCTOBRE 11 | 1090 ANSWERS Injury Woes Return as Maple Leafs Fall 6-3 to Red Wings Do you think there is something wrong with the Maple Leafs lineup this season? | ||
| Yes | 837 | 76.8 % |
| No | 253 | 23.2 % |
| List of polls | ||