Detroit Red Wings on winning their way into Christmas break
Detroit Red Wings James van Riemsdyk, Dylan Larkin and Todd McLellan, Dec. 23, 2025 in Detroit.
The Detroit Red Wings hosting the Toronto Maple Leafs generally make for an entertaining atmosphere at Little Caesars Arena, as the Atlantic Division (and Original Six) foes always bring out a solid contingent of fans.
The dueling chants really took off in the third period Sunday, Dec, 28, as the Wings rallied for the second time to tie the game. Midway through the period there was a melee that even saw Cam Talbot come out of his net and take a swing in the pileup.
Defenseman Simon Edvinsson won the game, 3-2, when he scored with 3:14 to play in overtime, part of a remarkable performance.
Edvinsson had previous needed help getting off the ice after getting hit in the legs by a puck. He valiantly stayed out until a whistle, throwing the length of his body to disrupt a Leafs power play and using his stick to deflect a puck. Edvinsson looked in pain, but he was back on the ice a few minutes later. Michael Rasmussen limped off near the end of the second period after going down in the corner, but he came back, too.
The victory gave the Red Wings (23-14-3) two points and kept them atop the Atlantic after the Tampa Bay Lightning picked up two points of their own in an OT win over the third-place Montreal Canadiens earlier Sunday. (The Lightning have played two fewer games, however.) Next up, the Wings host another Canadian foe, as the Winnipeg Jets visit LCA for the traditional New Year’s Eve game on Wednesday (6:30 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network Detroit). That’s part of a back-to-back in which the Wings head to Pittsburgh to face Sidney Crosby and the Penguins on New Year’s Day.
Second-period rally
The Wings did have something to celebrate in the second, as Moritz Seider, scored in the final minute of the second period to make it 1-1. Toronto’s Nicholas Robertson made it 2-1 on a one-timer at 4:53 of the third period, but Mason Appleton replied inside a minute when he settled the puck on his stick and was able to lift a shot to the blocker side. Andrew Copp missed an open net in the waning minutes, sending a tough-angle shot off the far post.
Both teams had played the night before: The Wings were 5-2 losers at the Carolina Hurricanes; the Leafs, 7-5 winners at home over the Ottawa Senators.
Patrick Kane milestone watch
The Wings regained Patrick Kane after a six-game layoff healing an upper-body injury. He had a nice scoring opportunity late in the first period, but his wrist shot was turned away by Dennis Hildeby. He remains on 498 in his quest to become the 50th NHL player and fifth U.S.-born player with 500 goals. The Buffalo, New York, native also remains at 1,366 points, eight behind former Red Wing Mike Modano for the most by a U.S.-born player.
Cam-do attitude
Talbot came up with a big save on Robertson early in the second period after he took the puck off Jacob Bernard-Docker, with Albert Johansson giving chase. Soon after that, the Wings had to contend with the Leafs’ power play when Ben Chiarot was called for tripping. Matthew Knies scored when Auston Matthews got the puck in front of the crease, spun around and found Knies, who had Copp on him.
The Wings put on a furious last few minutes of the second period, cycling the puck around down low and firing shots at Hildeby. There was 58.9 seconds left in the period when Seider unleashed a slap shot that sank into the net and made it 1-1.
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