Todd McLellan’s Detroit Red Wings debut didn’t go as planned, as the Toronto Maple Leafs jumped out to a three-goal lead in the first period Friday and never looked back in a 5-2 win.
David Kämpf opened the scoring in his 500th career NHL game, and Mitch Marner scored a hat trick thanks in part to excellent passes from John Tavares and William Nylander. The Maple Leafs’ best players were their best players, and the overall team grade is an A.
Mitch Marner: A+
Marner extended his point streak to seven games with a goal eight minutes in. While Tavares deserves most of the credit for setting him up with an empty net, it was Marner who started the play with a nifty zone entry, and he also got his one-timer off in a hurry.
Marner scored off yet another one-timer at the end of the first. This one came on the power play, but this time it was Nylander who set him up with a beautiful pass. He just missed completing the hat trick in the opening minute of the second, but he got it done by deflecting Oliver Ekman-Larsson’s point shot toward the end of the frame.
MITCH MARNER HAT TRICK!!! 🎩🎩🎩 pic.twitter.com/esJvtg6snr
— NHL (@NHL) December 28, 2024
John Tavares: A+
Tavares extended his point streak to six games with one of the nicest assists of his career. With the Leafs already out to a one-goal lead eight minutes in, Tavares set up Marner for a great chance in the slot. Though his linemate failed to capitalize on the first look, Tavares got the puck back seconds later and found Marner with a gorgeous no-look between-the-legs pass. He followed it up by drawing a penalty to put his team on the power play a few minutes later, and then picked up a secondary assist in the final minute of the opening frame.
An unreal feed from John Tavares to set up Mitch Marner! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/o3I8EX3kZu
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) December 28, 2024
The fourth line (Steven Lorentz, Kämpf, Connor Dewar): A+
All three players played a role in Toronto’s first goal, which came just two minutes in. Dewar’s strong forecheck helped to force a turnover, and Lorentz found David Kämpf in front for his first goal of the season. Dewar created a few quality scoring chances for himself in the second, and this unit was spending shift after shift in the offensive zone. What more can you ask for from your fourth line?
William Nylander: A-
Nylander made a wicked pass on the power play 14 minutes in that led to a great chance for Bobby McMann, but his teammate wasn’t able to capitalize. Fortunately, the second time was the charm, as he made another perfect cross-ice pass on the power play that set up Marner for a power-play goal in the final minute of the first. He was quiet at five-on-five, but lethal enough on the power play that it didn’t matter.
Joseph Woll: A-
Woll stopped all 13 shots that he faced in the first, including a dangerous two-on-one chance from Dylan Larkin in the final minutes. While he faced more quantity than quality, he kept Detroit from gaining any sort of momentum. He was far less busy in the second, as he faced only four shots, but he was perfect once again.
Lucas Raymond finally beat him with a one-timer on the power play in the third, but Woll had made several great saves early on in the penalty kill. Simon Edvinson then scored on a point shot four minutes later, but Woll was screened and the puck took a weird bounce.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson: A-
He did well to take away the pass on a two-on-one rush at the end of the first, which forced Larkin to settle for a relatively low-danger shot. He then picked up a primary assist at the end of the second by throwing the puck on net for a deflection in front.
The third line (Bobby McMann, Max Domi and Nick Robertson): A-
They mostly played boring minutes at five-on-five, but Domi set up McMann for a quality chance on the power play at the end of the first. Domi was gifted an A+ chance in the slot at the end of the second, but he shot the puck wide.
The trio combined for a buzzer-beater goal at the end of the second, as McMann helped to force a turnover, and Domi found Robertson in front for Toronto’s fifth goal.
The second pair (Morgan Rielly and Philippe Myers): B+
Rielly made a poor defensive read seven minutes in and was left covering no one, but the Red Wings weren’t able to capitalize. He made up for it by setting up Knies for a quality chance on the power play. Myers picked up a secondary assist on Toronto’s second goal but wasn’t overly noticeable. I don’t think he’ll be paired with Rielly in the long run, but the Leafs spent most of their shifts in the offensive zone.
The shutdown pair (Jake McCabe and Chris Tanev): B+
They weren’t the story of the game, but opposing coaches must be incredibly jealous that Craig Berube gets to throw this pairing out against top lines. They were quietly effective, and McCabe made a key shot block in the early second that may have saved a goal.
Simon Benoit: B
Benoit took a penalty nine minutes in, but it wasn’t a bad one, as he was left defending a rebound chance without a stick. He took a shot to the groin in the second, but was otherwise not overly noticeable.
Max Pacioretty: B-
He was quiet, but he got the play started with a nice zone entry ahead of Toronto’s fourth goal. His line was excellent defensively.
Pontus Holmberg: B-
The Leafs failed to generate many scoring chances during his minutes, he was at least battling defensively. You’d like a little bit of offence out of a centre who’s paired with Knies and Nylander, but it’s not like he’s expected to be the catalyst. It felt like he won a fair amount of 50-50 battles.
Matthew Knies: C+
Knies was quiet at five-on-five, but caused some havoc in front prior to Toronto’s third goal. However, he failed to get the puck out on the penalty kill prior to Detroit’s first goal. I expect more out of him offensively.
Game Score
What’s Next?
Heading home to play the Washington Capitals on Saturday at 7 p.m. on Sportsnet.
(Photo of Mitch Marner celebrating after scoring a goal: Rick Osentoski / Imagn Images)
