Dylan Larkin scored three times for his second career hat trick, Alex Nedeljkovic made 42 saves and the Detroit Red Wings defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-2 on Sunday night.
Olli Maatta had a goal and an assist, and Jonatan Berggren also scored for Detroit. Moritz Seider added two assists as the Red Wings picked up their first regulation victory in Toronto since April 2, 2016 — exactly seven years to the day. It also snapped the Maple Leafs’ 9-0-1 home streak against their Atlantic Division rival.
“Great feeling coming in here and beating a team like that,” Larkin said. “Quieting the home fans.”
Calle Jarnkrok and John Tavares scored for Toronto, which lost goalie Matt Murray to an injury late in the first period. Murray allowed two goals on seven shots before being replaced by Ilya Samsonov, who made 13 saves in relief after stopping 31 shots in a 3-0 win over Ottawa on Saturday.
“You need a quick change in your brain,” Samsonov said of coming into the game cold. “It’s not the easiest — really hard — but we need to do this.”
Toronto, which is locked into a first-round playoff matchup with Tampa Bay and sitting in the Atlantic Division’s No. 2 spot, Toronto rested star forward Mitch Marner and defensemen Jake McCabe and Mark Giordano.
The Red Wings, who will likely miss the playoffs for the seventh straight season, opened the scoring 90 seconds into the first period on Maatta's sixth goal of the season.
With the game tied at 1 after Jarnkrok's goal, Toronto's David Kampf was stopped on a penalty shot. But Berggren scored his 14th off a broken play to give Detroit a 2-1 lead.
Murray left moments later when Wings forward Lucas Raymond lost an edge and accidentally sent the 28-year-old tumbling in the crease.
“So unexpected,” Tavares said. “No opportunity for him to brace (for) the impact or sense that it’s coming.”
Coach Sheldon Keefe didn’t have an update on Murray after the game, but said the goalie was required to leave the ice and was tested for a concussion. Murray has been limited to 26 games because of abductor muscle and ankle issues earlier this season.
“It’s hard,” Samsonov said of his reaction to seeing Murray go down again. “We don’t know long-term or whatever — third injury. I’m so sad.”
Larkin beat Samsonov with 38.2 seconds left in the period to give him a career-high 75 points on the season.
Nedeljkovic made 14 saves in the middle period and then smothered a Tavares effort early in the third, but the Leafs captain tipped his 33rd past Nedeljkovic on a power play to cut the deficit to one.
Larkin slid home a rebound for his 30th to make it 4-2. He completed the hat trick when he found the empty net from his own end with 2:12 remaining.
“We don’t play well enough to get a favorable result,” Keefe said. “Made a couple of mistakes that end up in our net.”
ABRUZZESE GETS A LOOK
Toronto forward Nick Abruzzese made his season debut after getting recalled from the AHL on an emergency basis.
A fourth-round pick in 2019, the 23-year-old had a goal in nine games with the Leafs in 2021-22. Abruzzese has 15 goals and 44 points in 65 appearances with the Toronto Marlies this season.
Veteran forward Wayne Simmonds also returned with the Leafs resting Marner, McCabe and Giordano, while defenseman Connor Timmins dressed for the first time since Feb. 24.
KASPER DEBUTS
Detroit center Marco Kasper, the No. 8 pick at the 2022 draft, made his NHL debut.
The 18-year-old Austrian played the last three seasons in Sweden, putting up eight goals and 23 points in 52 games in the country’s top division in 2022-23.
UP NEXT
Red Wings: At Montreal on Tuesday night to finish a three-game trip.
Maple Leafs: Host Columbus on Tuesday night to wrap up a two-game homestand.
