Detroit Red Wings complete sweep of Maple Leafs with 2-1 win in OT

TORONTO — The Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs played what has become a typical Atlantic Division outing: A three-point game.

Dylan Larkin ensured it would be the Wings celebrating a two-point gain in the standings when he scored at 4:07 of overtime to settle the game on Wednesday, Jan. 21, at 2-1. It was a pretty finish after Moritz Seider knocked down the Leafs’ defender to get Larkin a one-on-one chance at the net.

Simon Edvinsson scored in the first period for the Wings’ only other goal.

The Wings (31-16-4, second in division because the Tampa Bay Lightning have games in hand) came into the night having won the first three meetings against the Leafs this season, with Cam Talbot stealing the first outing at Scotiabank Arena, back in October. In the second appearance in Toronto, John Gibson was in peak form, finishing with 29 saves. The Wings had 41 shots on net, including six in overtime.

BRR: Frigid trip on tap for Red Wings as Patrick Kane nears big milestone

Gibson delivered to the standard he’s set since Thanksgiving in the first period, making, among his 11 saves, one on John Tavares as he barreled to the crease in an attempt to stuff the puck across the goal line. The only puck that did cross Gibson’s net was when Scott Laughton was left unattended, giving him time and space to redirect Calle Jarnkrok’s pass into the net for a 1-0 lead five minutes into the game.

The Wings had a couple quality chances during a power play a minute later, but they didn’t break Joseph Woll until the final minute of the first period. Lucas Raymond transported the puck up ice, briefly passing it to Dylan Larkin before getting it back. As Raymond skated backwards towards the goal line, he fired a pass out front that Edvinsson turned into his sixth goal of the season, with 17.7 seconds on the clock, one of 15 shots on net by the Wings in the first period.

The rapid back-and-forth continued in the second period, with Gibson making five saves just while Jacob Bernard-Docker served a penalty for tripping. He made another three when James van Riemsdyk was also called for tripping.

The Wings were called for a third penalty in the second period when officials deemed Edvinsson hooked Laughton on a breakaway, leading to a penalty shot, at 16:41. But Laughton – who has 15 goals and 22 points in his last 21 games against the Wings – fumbled the chance, with the puck slipping off his stick as he approached the net and sliding softly into the paint and into Gibson’s hands. The period ended with a scrum, as the Wings took offense to Simon Benoit knocking over Lucas Raymond.

Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter.