Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews exhibited he’s healthy again but new coach Craig Berube admitted there remain difficult decisions to finalize his opening-night roster.
Matthews returned to the lineup after missing four games with an upper-body injury to score the tying goal and set up John Tavares’ winning goal in the Maple Leafs 3-2 win against the Detroit Red Wings in their final pre-season game before 18,524 at Scotiabank Arena on Saturday.
“We’ve got some tough decisions,” Berube said. “I’m not going to comment on (individuals). But yeah, we have some tough decisions to make.”
Teams must submit their 23-player opening-night roster on Monday at 5 p.m. ET.
The Maple Leafs (4-1-1) open the regular season on the road against the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday, while Detroit will entertain the Pittsburgh Penguins for their first game on Thursday.
“It’s nice to finish that way,” said Matthews, whose team overcame a 2-1 first-period deficit with a strong final 40 minutes. “Individually and as a team, we really had it going in the second and third.”
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The winner came 4:58 into the final frame when he passed to Tavares on the power play and then provided a screen for the game-winner.
Besides Matthews’ strong game, goalie Joseph Woll also showed promise as did fourth-line candidate Steven Lorentz.
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Lorentz scored the tying goal in the first period after Ryan Reaves made a strong physical play behind the Detroit goal to get the puck to his linemate in front.
“I kind of blacked out there,” said the smiling Lorentz, a native of Waterloo, Ont. “Things have come full circle for me, coming to this rink as a kid to watch games.”
Lorentz arrived at Maple Leafs training camp on a PTO, meaning he has to work out a contract if Berube and the management team plan to keep the 28-year-old Stanley Cup winner with the Florida Panthers last year.
“He’s a good dude,” Woll said “On the ice, he’s a hard worker.”
Lorentz fits into the heavy, grinding style of play that Berube wants his Maple Leafs to carry out this season.
The Maple Leafs dressed most of their opening-night roster with only regulars Nick Robertson, Calle Jarnkrok and defenceman Jake McCabe missing.
The Red Wings were without many of their top players as Dylan Larkin, Patrick Kane and Moritz Seider stayed home.
The visitors did not mount much of an attack in the latter two periods. They were outshot 15-1 in the second period and 33-20 overall.
Ville Husso was Detroit’s best player, stopping 30 shots.
Toronto goalie Joseph Woll played the entire game. With no explanation from Berube, Woll played only 31:45 in the previous five pre-season games.
The incumbent is expected to share the workload with newcomer Anthony Stolarz, who only saw 35 minutes of playoff action with the Stanley Cup-champion Florida Panthers last spring.
“I think he’s a stud,” Matthews said. “I think he’s going to have a really good year for us.”
The 26-year-old Woll was at his best during a Red Wings (3-3-2) 54-second five-on-three power play. After Jonatan Berggren hit the side of the net and Michael Bradsegg-Bygard glanced a shot off the outside of the post, Woll stoned the latter Detroit forward on a rebound.
However, with the first Toronto penalty expired, Andrew Copp scored to give Detroit a 2-1 advantage when William Wallinder’s shot deflected off Toronto’s Matthew Knies to a wide-open Copp with 2:02 remaining in the first period. Copp set up Christian Fischer for a redirect opening goal.
The Maple Leafs tied the game 2:52 into the second period on a trademark Matthews one-timer from the side on the power play.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 5, 2024.
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