National Hockey League
Toronto 5, Detroit 4
When: 7:00 PM ET, Saturday, October 30, 2021
Where: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Ontario
Referees: Ghislain Hebert, Brian Pochmara
Linesmen: Tyson Baker, Mark Shewchyk
Attendance: 18921

John Tavares had a goal and two assists and the Toronto Maple Leafs held on to defeat the visiting Detroit Red Wings 5-4 Saturday night.

Jake Muzzin and Alexander Kerfoot each added a goal and an assist and Michael Bunting and Mitchell Marner also scored for the Maple Leafs, who have won two in a row.

Joe Veleno and Filip Zadina each had a goal and an assist while Vladislav Namestnikov and Filip Hronek also scored for the Red Wings, who have lost two straight.

Petr Mrazek made 27 saves for Toronto, as Thomas Greiss stopped 33 shots for Detroit.

Muzzin gave the Maple Leafs their first goal by a defenseman this season with a wrist shot from the left circle at 19:46 of the first period. TJ Brodie and Tavares earned assists.

Toronto had a 14-10 advantage in shots on goal in the first period.

After Toronto's Pierre Engvall hit the goal post on a short-handed breakaway, the Red Wings came back to score on the power play at 8:19 of the second period. Zadina's shot from the right circle beat Mrazek as Tavares was serving a slashing penalty. Moritz Seider and Sam Gagner picked up assists.

The Maple Leafs scored on their first power play of the game at 19:42 of the second period. Jason Spezza's pass from the right circle was redirected by Bunting, who was in the slot. Michael Rasmussen was off for slashing.

Toronto led 30-18 in shots on goal after two periods.

The teams exchanged goals early in the third period. Kerfoot scored from the slot on a pass from Tavares after 17 seconds. Veleno converted a pass from Rasmussen at 1:36.

Tavares completed a two-on-one with Kerfoot to restore the two-goal margin at 7:47 of the third. But Namestnikov knocked in Veleno's pass at 10:11 to make it 4-3.

Marner scored at 17:55 of the third period, but Hronek cut the margin to one at 19:31.

Veleno was in the lineup to replace Tyler Bertuzzi, who cannot play in Canada because he has not been vaccinated against COVID-19.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Detroit   Toronto
Joe Veleno 2 Points John Tavares 3
Joe Veleno 1 Goals John Tavares 1
Joe Veleno 1 Assists John Tavares 2
Filip Zadina 1 Power Play Goals Michael Bunting 1
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Thomas Greiss .868 Save Percentage Petr Mrazek .871
Thomas Greiss 33 Saves Petr Mrazek 27
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Detroit 31 4 1-2 1-2 4 16
Toronto 38 5 1-2 1-2 4 29
Upcoming Games
  • Toronto will play their next game at home against Vegas. The Maple Leafs have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .400 after a loss.
  • Detroit will play their next game on the road against Montreal. The Red Wings have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .400 after a loss.