TORONTO — Ilya Samsonov is already looking like the Maple Leafs’ starting goaltender for Game 1 of the playoffs.
Another injury to his often-injured crease partner could have cemented the Russian’s position as Toronto’s No. 1 option in a few weeks’ time.
Dylan Larkin recorded his second career hat trick and Alex Nedeljkovic made 42 saves on Sunday as the Detroit Red Wings topped the Leafs 5-2 on a night that saw Matt Murray go down with another injury.
Limited to 26 games on the schedule due to abductor muscle and ankle issues, the netminder fell to the ice late in the first period when Wings forward Lucas Raymond lost a lead and accidentally sent the 28-year-old flat on his back.
Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe did not have an update on Murray after the game, but said he needed to leave the ice and was tested for an injury.
Toronto captain John Tavares, who scored his team’s second goal, said the order that dropped Murray was “so unexpected”. “He has no opportunity to brace (for) the impact or emotion that comes.”
Olli Matta had a goal and an assist and Jonathan Berggren also scored for Detroit (34-33-9).
The Wings earned their first regulation win in Toronto since April 2, 2016 – exactly seven years to the day – to snap the Leafs’ 9–0–1 home streak against their Atlantic Division rival.
“It’s a great feeling to come out here and beat a team like this,” Larkin said. “Quiet the house fans.”
Related Video
Cale Jarnkrok’s was the second goal for Toronto (45-21-10).
“We didn’t play well enough to get a favorable result,” Keefe said. “Made some mistakes that got into our trap.”
Murray scored two goals on seven shots before going down with an injury. Samsonov, who made 31 stops in Saturday’s 3-0 shutout win over Ottawa, finished with 13 saves.
“You need a quick change in your brain,” Samsonov said of coming into the game cold. “It’s not the easiest – hard in fact – but we need to do this.”
Locked in a first-round playoff matchup with Tampa Bay when the post-season began on April 17, Toronto rested star winger Mitch Marner as well as defensemen Jake McCabe and Mark Giordano.
The Wings, who are set to miss the playoffs for the seventh straight season despite making some good progress with a young core, opened the scoring 90 seconds into the first period when Matta scored his sixth goal of the campaign on a breakaway. Did.
Jarnkrok collected his 19th — and first in 24 all-time appearances against the team that drafted him in 2010 — as a Detroit penalty expired to tie things up.
Toronto center David Kampf was stopped on a penalty shot before Berggren scored his 14th goal on Murray for a 2–1 lead.
The Leafs’ goaltender subsequently departed following that unexpected collision with Raymond.
Larkin beat Samsonov with 38.2 seconds remaining in the session to set a new career-high for a 3–1 lead through 75 points and 20 minutes.
Nedeljkovic made 14 saves in the middle period, but Tavares cut the deficit to one on his 33rd on the power play in the third.
Toronto led 11–0 on the shot clock before Larkin made it 4–2 on his 30-yard comeback.
Samsonov made an incredible glove save to deny Berggren his second of the night with less than seven minutes remaining in regulation.
But Larkin found an empty net after Nedeljkovic earned his third straight win after spending most of the season in the minors.
Meanwhile, the focus in the other locker room was on a teammate facing more injury uncertainty with the most important time of the year approaching.
“It’s tough,” Samsonov said of his reaction to seeing Murray go down again. “We don’t know the long term or whatever – the third injury.
“I’m so sad.”
bunting challenge
Michael Bunting is at his most effective when he is agitating and mixing things up with the opposition.
But the Leafs winger found himself in the penalty box with 12 minutes to go on Sunday – for embellishments to go along with two misconducts.
Keefe said his players will have to continue working to figure out where the line is and how the officials call the play when they are on the ice.
“(Bunting) eats three cross-checks and he is taken to the box (for decorations),” the coach said. “He had four or five punches to his face and he ended up with a 10-minute misconduct. It’s hard for him.
“He just has to find his way through it.”
casper debut
Detroit center Marco Kasper, the No. 8 pick in the 2022 draft, made his NHL debut.
The 18-year-old Austrian played the last three seasons in Sweden, scoring eight goals and 23 points in 52 games in the country’s top division in 2022-23.
“Dream come true,” Kasper, who played about 15 minutes and took the early faceoff against Tavares, said after the Sunday morning skate. “Couldn’t be any better…it’s just real.”
next
Leaves: Host last-place Columbus on Tuesday before traveling to first-place Boston on Thursday.
Wings: Visit Montreal on Tuesday and welcome Buffalo on Thursday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on April 2, 2023.
,
Follow @JClipperton_CP on Twitter.
© 2023 The Canadian Press