Red Wings Look to Sweep Season Series Against Maple Leafs in Final Original Six Showdown
When the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs meet, it’s never just another game. These two Original Six franchises bring decades of history to the ice every time they face off - and tonight’s matchup in Toronto marks the fourth and final regular-season meeting between the longtime rivals.
But unlike most seasons, the Red Wings have already wrapped up the season series. Detroit is 3-0 against the Leafs this year, and they’ve done it in a variety of ways - from offensive outbursts to clutch, grind-it-out wins.
It all started back in October, when Detroit opened the season series with a 6-3 statement win. Two days later, they edged Toronto 3-2 in a game that came down to the wire.
Mason Appleton played the hero that night, scoring the game-winner with just 44.1 seconds left in regulation. But the real backbone of that win?
Goaltender Cam Talbot, who turned away 38 shots and flat-out stole one for the Wings.
“I do know Talbs stole the game in Toronto,” Andrew Copp said, reflecting on that tight win. “It’s always a combination of things.
I don’t know if there’s any one secret recipe. They’ve got a lot of good players over there, and they’re playing pretty good right now - I think they’ve been on a good streak like the whole Atlantic Division.”
Copp’s comments speak to the mindset this Detroit team has embraced all season: stay focused, adapt when needed, and find ways to win. “We’re focused on playing well, and we’ll make some little changes to whatever system or whatever they’re running,” he added.
That adaptability showed up again in their most recent matchup in late December. After Toronto took a late third-period lead, Appleton answered almost immediately with the tying goal, setting the stage for an overtime win. It was another example of the Red Wings’ growing poise in pressure moments - a trait that’s helped them hit 30 wins through their first 50 games for the first time since the 2011-12 season.
“We’ve won close games, right? That’s the biggest thing,” said Patrick Kane.
“When I look back at the second game of the year, we were down a couple and came back. That game in Toronto, Apps scored a big goal late to give us a 3-2 lead, so I think we’ve found a way to come out on top of those close games.”
That knack for closing out tight contests has propelled Detroit to second place in the Atlantic Division with 64 points - trailing only the surging Tampa Bay Lightning, who are riding a 9-0-1 stretch. Toronto, meanwhile, sits sixth in the division with 56 points, though they’ve gone 6-2-2 in their last 10 and are showing signs of heating up themselves.
Tonight’s game might not carry the weight of a playoff-decider, but for the Red Wings, it’s an opportunity to complete a rare season sweep against a divisional rival - and one with plenty of history at that. For the Leafs, it’s a chance to salvage something from a series that’s slipped away.
Original Six matchups always carry a little extra juice. But when one team’s trying to stay hot and the other’s fighting for traction in a crowded Atlantic Division race, that juice turns into playoff-level intensity - even in January.