We can now look ahead to the regular season, as the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Detroit Red Wings 3-2 on Saturday night to close out the preseason. Steven Lorentz, Auston Matthews and John Tavares got on the board for the Maple Leafs, while Joseph Woll made 18 saves.
Tavares fired a textbook wrist shot from inside the faceoff circle, beating Ville Husso for the go-ahead goal on the power play, just under five minutes into the third period. It was Tavares’ second goal of the preseason, coming off an outstanding pass from Matthews that cut through the Red Wings’ defense.
Woll received his first full start of the preseason and it began inauspiciously. Max Pacioretty turned the puck over in his own zone and Detroit’s Christian Fischer redirected an Andrew Copp shot for the game’s opening goal. It was the Red Wings’ first shot of the game but Woll rallied back, closing the door on Detroit’s Albert Johansson midway through the opening frame.