Maple Leafs notch 4th straight, down Wings 4-1

TORONTO, Ont. - It's been a bad four days for the Detroit Red Wings.

After falling to Toronto at home 2-1 in a shootout on Wednesday, they were on the wrong end of a 3-2 decision to lowly Florida two days later.

And though they opened their rematch with Toronto with a 1-0 lead in the first five minutes Saturday night, the Maple Leafs responded with three unanswered goals to clinch the season series against their Original Six rivals.

Toronto notched goals from three different strikers as the Maple Leafs down Detroit 4-1 at the Air Canada Centre.

A victory that gave Toronto (17-9-3) their fourth-straight victory and a stellar 8-1-1 showing in their last ten contests.

"They were way better than us," Wings coach Mike Babcock said afterwards, "way quicker, and executed."

The first twenty minutes was as even as it was spirited, as both nets were under siege, both facing 12 shots, both allowing 1.

Niklas Kronwall would quiet the crowd on the man advantage after he was held by James van Riemsdyk. 

His one-timer from the boards flew past Jonathan Bernier's right arm as the Leafs net-minder was crowded by Darren Helm in his crease.

But van Riemsdyk would respond sixty seconds later, albeit unintentionally.

His skate would produce the 1-1 stalemate after a pass from Leafs points-leader Phil Kessel tapped off the left-winger's boot in the crowded crease area.

The two goals in the first both gave each side their only power-play goals on the evening.

Kessel's point pushes his tally to 30 on the season, for his 15th assist against 15 goals.

The middle frame gave Detroit's penalty-killers a chance to show their second-best ranking as Petr Mezrak stuffed two game chances from Tyler Bozak on the advantage, a bouncer off the back glass that nearly petered in and a scrum in the Wings crease that had the goalie on his back and three men inside the net.

But Richard Panik would give Toronto the 2-1 lead when both sides fielded five men. 

Korbinian Holzer took the assist, the first point this season for the 26-year-old German, causing a turnover in the Detroit zone after picking away at Tomas Tatar and flicking it off the far boards to the Leafs blue line.

Panik took the pass in stride on a sudden breakaway, firing clean past Mezrak's right glove for his third goal in eight appearances for the Maple Leafs.

"Suddenly the puck was on my stick and I was happy," Panik said of what would be the game-winner.

The goal was Toronto 41st this season in second periods, to opponents' 25, and Saturday night's second session found the Leafs outshoot the Wings 20-5.

Panik fought Detroit's Brendan Smith late in the contest after Smith took offense at Panik's strong forearm check against the glass behind the Toronto net and charged the Leafs right-winger.

Panik would give Smith what the Leafs gave the Wings in the final two periods, landing six confident blows on him before officials separated them. 

Morgan Rielly inflated the Toronto scoresheet with a wrister that sailed past Mrazek's right elbow following a turnover in the neutral zone.

"We knew we had to clean it up a bit and as a team we did that," Rielly said. "That's a pretty good team we beat."

Nazem Kadri added the empty-netter with three minutes left in the third, and the three-goal advantage.

Henrik Zetterberg failed to produce a point for Detroit (17-7-7), having notched 16 in his last 13 meetings with Toronto. 

Detroit will enjoy a four-game homestand, hosting Columbus on Tuesday, and the Maple Leafs will host the Los Angeles Kings Sunday.