The Leafs journeyed to the aging Joe Louis Arena tonight to face off against the aging Detroit Red Wings. The Leafs stoned ‘em cold.
First Period
After a bit of fast, early skirmishing where both teams struggled to get close to the net, the Red Wings had the first really dangerous shift, with Justin Abdelkader wiring a shot through traffic. Andersen had the positional save.
The Leafs got their first sustained pressure in turn a couple minutes later, led by the Matthews line. This one ended with more incident than the Wings’ shift. Zach Hyman dug the puck loose; it came to Matthews, who pulled it through a defender’s legs, streaked through the slot, and potted an effortless-looking backhand.