The so-called “dress rehearsal” act warmed up in the second period.
The Detroit Red Wings fielded an all-NHL lineup Saturday against what was largely the Toronto Maple Leafs’ minor-league team. And yet it was the visiting team that led midway through, delighting the blue and white-clad fans that dotted the stands at Little Caesars Arena.
Then the Wings unleashed three goals in under three minutes and were able to withstand a late push to emerge with a 4-3 victory.
The Wings went 5-3-1 in the preseason. They’ll open the regular season on Thursday against the New Jersey Devils in Newark, New Jersey, then host the Tampa Bay Lightning in the home opener Oct. 14.
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Leafs blow in Wings’ direction
Max Ellis scored while being defended by Moritz Seider, beating goalie Ville Husso on a wrist shot Husso should have stopped, shortly after the Leafs had killed off a holding penalty on Easton Cowan. The Wings’ power play unit of Jeff Petry, Lucas Raymond, J.T. Compher, Robby Fabbri and Daniel Sprong got the first shift, and did a good job funneling pucks to the net and keeping possession. The Leafs made it 2-0 when defenseman Tommy Miller fired a shot through traffic that went in off Seider, who was battling with Ellis in front of the net. Jake Walman took a penalty with 2:45 to play in the third period and the Leafs pulled their goalie; it paid off with a goal from Sam Lafferty at 18:47, during the six-on-four advantage.
Dry run
After using a mix of NHL, minor leaguers and prospects through the first seven games, the Wings used the finale to dress those expected to be in the lineup for Thursday’s opener; on the back end, that meant newcomer Justin Holl was scratched. Leafs goaltender Joseph Woll stymied the Wings for 37 minutes, but then Dylan Larkin, Ben Chiarot and Joe Veleno scored in a span of two minutes, 24 seconds. Larkin poked the puck in from the crease, Chiarot made it 2-2 on a blast from the point, and Veleno skipped to catch Christian Fischer’s rebound. Sprong scored four seconds after a power play ended, doubling the Wings’ lead early in the third period; Jeff Petry earned his second assist of the night on that play.
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Jonatan Berggren was scratched from Saturday’s lineup. The 23-year-old began last season in the minors but when he was called up, his play demanded the Wings find a way to keep him, and the result was a 28-point, 67-game rookie season. Having a player with his skill set watching from the press box isn’t ideal, and Berggren is still waiver-exempt. If he’s not in the lineup Thursday, it may be a situation where the Wings wait and see how things go, and Berggren could be in the lineup the next game.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Red Wings beat Toronto Maple Leafs, 4-3, in preseason finale
