Toronto Maple Leafs captain John Tavares and star forward Auston Matthews led their team to a 3-2 victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night.
Tavares opened the scoring for the Maple Leafs with a power-play goal in the first period, assisted by Matthews and Mitch Marner. This marked Tavares’ 10th goal of the season and his 400th career NHL point.
The Red Wings responded with a goal from forward Robby Fabbri, but Matthews quickly regained the lead for the Maple Leafs with a goal of his own in the second period. This was Matthews’ 14th goal of the season, putting him in a tie for the league lead with Edmonton Oilers’ Connor McDavid.
The Maple Leafs’ lead was extended to 3-1 in the third period when forward Ilya Mikheyev scored his first goal of the season. However, the Red Wings fought back with a goal from forward Filip Zadina, making it a one-goal game.
Despite a late push from the Red Wings, the Maple Leafs held on for the win, with goaltender Frederik Andersen making 27 saves.
This victory marks the Maple Leafs’ fourth win in their last five games, improving their record to 11-2-1. They currently sit in first place in the North Division.
The Red Wings, on the other hand, have now lost six straight games and have a record of 4-10-2.
The Maple Leafs will look to continue their winning ways as they face the Red Wings again on Thursday night.
