DETROIT, Mich. - Gustav Nyquist lit the lamp for the Red Wings to end a long-last scoreless stalemate, giving Detroit the 1-0 lead over the Toronto Maple Leafs after two periods Wednesday evening.
Henrik Zetterberg had put the puck into play from the left circle on a sudden development, flicking a hopeful pass in on Tomas Jurco.
His shot was stuffed easily by James Reimer, but then bounced off his chest into the crease. By that time, Nyqyust made his way there, spinning out of a tackle with Morgan Rielly and darting it clean past the Manitoban for the lead.
The goal was his 13th on the season, taking hold of the best scoring mark on the Red Wings roster.
James Reimer found himself under siege for Toronto as the second period began.
Gustav Nyquist and Riley Sheahan tried a 2-on-1 seconds into the middle period, but the latter's shot was pecked at by Dion Phaneuf and went high.
Reimer went to work again for Toronto against Tomas Tatar two minutes in after Tatar took a pass from Darren Helm and found himself facing the goalie alone. Reimer would deflect the chance away.
Pavel Datsyuk caused the latter attack after forcing a defensive turnover in the neutral zone.
Riley Sheahan nearly struck four minutes in with a convincing shot from very close range. It bounced off Reimer's left pad and died in the crease, soon covered for the visitors.
Nyquist tried again, taking a pass from Henrik Zetterberg from the right circle and shooting from outside the crease, though stuffed by the resilient Leafs goalie.
Toronto notched their first shot on goal a long eight minutes into the second period when Jake Gardiner tried Jimmy Howard on a one-time blast from the circle, to no avail.
Detroit had outshot the Leafs 6-0 until then to opening seven minutes of the session, finishing with 22 shots to Toronto's 10.
Not that the visitors had no chances.
Toronto took the man-advantage after Riley Sheahan hooked the Leafs' David Booth at 9:19.
Forty seconds into the advantage, however, the Leafs had failed to even cross their own blue line. Matters grew worse when they went down two men for 1:10 after Danny DeKeyser closed his hand on the puck.
Kessel and Phaneuf exchanged passes before the latter fired for Howard, though wide. Kessel gave to Phenauf again, then to Franzen, though was deflected to the other end of the ice.
With three seconds left in the 4-on-4, the Wings pushed the puck from their own end as Riley Sheahan returned to play.
Toronto fared little better in the next 5-on-4. Detroit's Kyle Quincey stole the puck behind the net, flinging a backhander down the ice, but was hit by Joffrey Lupul, giving the game a brief 4-on-4 session before the Wings took the extra man.
Toronto could not secure a shot on goal during their advantage as Detroit has now killed 15 of their last 16 penalties as they hold the 3rd-best penalty-killing unit in hockey (87.1 percent).
Franzen fired a long-range one-timer with 45 seconds left in the Wings power-play, the 7th best in the league. Stephen Weiss tried from close range against Reimer but was deflected wide.
Nyquist fired to the side of the net off a promising cross-ice pass as the power-play vanished, and Phil Kessel nearly had a chance alone against Howard after some Detroit passing went wrong in their zone, but the puck slid from his grasp.
Pavel Datsyuk ventured a chance alone to Reimer's left side with three minutes left, but the Leafs goalie by then had plenty of practice, stuffing the chance in the crease.
Detroit (17-6-5) is seeking their eighth victory in nine attempts.
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