Red Wings at Maple Leafs
The atmosphere won’t be quite the same as three years ago, but a crowd of close to 40,000 is expected when the Detroit Red Wings take on the host Toronto Maple Leafs at BMO Field on Sunday in the Centennial Classic. The Maple Leafs edged the Red Wings 3-2 in a shootout on Jan. 1, 2014 before more than 105,000 at the Big House in Ann Arbor, Mich. with snow falling.
“This has been a day circled on our calendar,” Toronto center Nazem Kadri told reporters. “The venue looks brilliant. I’m excited to get out there.” The Maple Leafs arrive with a four-game winning streak after posting a 3-2 overtime victory at Tampa Bay on Thursday, and defenseman Morgan Rielly told the Toronto Sun, “We believe in this group, we have a lot of confidence, so we want to keep this rolling.” Detroit has been on a bit of an upswing of late as well, with three wins in five games - including a 3-2 overtime triumph against Ottawa on Thursday - after starting the month of December at 2-4-2. Jared Coreau likely will make his third straight start in net for the Red Wings after stopping 57 of the 62 shots he faced in wins over Florida and Ottawa.
TV: 3 p.m. ET, NBC, Sportsnet, TVA
ABOUT THE RED WINGS (16-16-4): Anthony Mantha has been making a big impact offensively of late, as the 22-year-old forward has recorded three goals and three assists in his last five games after scoring the winner in overtime on Thursday. Captain Henrik Zetterberg leads the team with 25 points, but veteran forward Thomas Vanek (20) has scored goals in two straight games and notched five points in as many contests. Riley Sheahan (upper body) skated a day after missing Thursday’s game, but fellow forwards Darren Helm (shoulder) and Justin Abdelkader (knee) are not expected to return.
ABOUT THE MAPLE LEAFS (16-12-7): Rookie Auston Matthews continues to shine as he completed the month with 12 points in 12 contests, and the 2016 first-overall draft pick carries a five-game point streak (four goals, three assists) into Sunday's outdoor event. William Nylander, a 20-year-old forward, also has picked it up of late, recording four points in as many games to push his total to 24 on the season. Goaltender Frederik Andersen sat out Thursday’s win in favor of Antoine Bibeau but will look to extend his winning streak to four games after posting a .948 save percentage in December.
OVERTIME
1. Toronto has registered at least one power-play goal in four straight games and is 19-for-19 on the penalty kill in that span.
2. Detroit C Dylan Larkin leads the team with 10 goals but carries a minus-12 rating into Sunday's contest.
3. It will be the first meeting between the Original Six rivals this season after the Red Wings won three of four in 2015-16.