Matthews scores twice in Leafs' win over Red Wings
DETROIT -- Auston Matthews scored twice as the Toronto Maple Leafs edged the Detroit Red Wings 5-4 on Saturday.
Matthews' 38th goal of the season at 18:51 of the third period gave the Leafs a 5-3 lead, but ultimately provided the margin of victory when Detroit's Mike Green scored at 19:15.
James Van Riemsdyk's backhander past Detroit goalie Jimmy Howard at 17:34 of the third snapped a 3-3 tie and put Toronto ahead for good.
Gus Nyquist gave the Wings the lead at 14:50 of the first period with his 11th goal of the season. Frans Nielsen slipped a drop pass to Nyquist, who fired quickly through a screen to beat Leafs netminder Frederik Andersen.
Matthews, who leads all NHL rookies in goals and points (66), scored on the power play 2:56 into the second period to tie the game. Snapping a short-side wrister past Howard, Matthews netted his 37th of the season.
A pass from Connor Carrick put Mitch Marner in the clear and the Leafs' rookie rifled a high wrist shot past Howard on the glove side to make it 2-1 at 13:53.
Only 1:15 later, another Leafs rookie, William Nylander, made it 3-1. Using Detroit defenseman Niklas Kronwall as a screen, Nylander zipped a high blast that Howard wasn't able to locate.
Nylander has points in 13 of his last 14 games.
Detroit defenseman Nick Jensen backhanded the rebound of his own shot past Andersen to make it 3-2 at 16:42.
Niklas Kronwall's goal with 5:19 left in regulation time tied the game. Pinching down from the point, Kronwall redirected Henrik Zetterberg's cross-crease pass into the roof of the Toronto net.
NOTES: Detroit F Gus Nyquist has set a career high with 32 assists this season. ... Detroit F Riley Sheahan has 102 shots on goal and has yet to score this season. In NHL history, no forward has taken at least 100 shots in a season and not scored. ... The Wings played without F Anthony Mantha (broken finger) and F Luke Glendening (broken ankle). ... D Ryan Sproul (knee) was also scratched. ... The Wings lost F Andreas Athanasiou briefly in the second period after he was clipped in the mouth with the stick of Toronto's Connor Carrick. Athanasiou returned for the third period wearing a facemask. ... Leafs scratches were D Alexey Marchenko, D Martin Marincin, F Josh Leivo, F Ben Smith and F Nikita Soshnikov. ... Leafs F Zach Hyman has established a team rookie mark with four shorthanded goals. ... Hyman and Detroit F Dylan Larkin were college linemates with the Michigan Wolverines. ... Fifteen players on the Leafs roster weren't born the last time the Wings missed the playoffs in 1989-90. ... Leafs president Brendan Shanahan, a former Wings forward, borrowed a pair of Toronto coach Mike Babcock's skates to take a final spin around the Joe Louis Arena ice surface Saturday afternoon.