The disparity in talent between the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs was on full display Thursday.
Led by their young superstars, the Leafs skilled their way to a 5-3 victory at Little Caesars Arena. The Wings kept the score close thanks to Jimmy Howard and a resilient third period, but they burned themselves with penalties. Auston Matthews scored twice on power plays to put his goal total for the season at nine — that’s as many as the Wings have through four games.
Howard finished with 32 saves as the Leafs scored an empty net goal with 20 seconds to go.