TORONTO, Ont. - After playing one another four times this season, Saturday night's contest between Toronto and Detroit will decide who takes the season series between these two Original Six programs.
Toronto (16-9-3) seeks a four-game winning streak for the first time this season and the Red Wings (17-6-7) look to end a two game skid that began when these teams last met, Wednesday evening in Detroit.
Leafs net-minder James Reimer stuffed 41 shots against him in that contest, a 2-1 shootout decision to Toronto. Jimmy Howard faced only 19 for the Wings, and only 6 in the final period, though still allowed the tying goal late in regulation.
Mike Santorelli clinched the win in the final round of the shootout, flinging a wrister between Howard's pads. Tyler Bozak added for the Leafs and Pavel Datsyuk gave the Wings their only good goal in that time.
Toronto's Phil Kessel notched his fourth goal in five games that night and leads the team with 29 points (15 G, 14 A), and the side is 10-2-1 when Kessel records a goal.
"We need a couple of bounces here and there, but we're winning. That's the most important," Kessel said this week. "We're working hard. We're doing the little things right."
The Maple Leafs have not played a hockey game since their clash with Detroit, though their opponents come into the Air Canada Centre following a 3-2 shootout loss to lowly Florida Friday night.
Detroit fell to a 1-5-0 record in shootouts as a result, and Jimmy Howard 0-5 in net.
"Right now, when we get to the shootout, we're not a confident group, so we've just got to keep working on it," Wings coach Mike Babcock said Friday. "No sense hanging our heads or getting disappointed."
Nor have any reason to hang their hands about their vital statistics.
They hold the second-best penalty killing group in hockey (88.2 pct) behind only the streaking Chicago Blackhawks, and score 3 goals per game, good for third most.
Detroit converts 22 percent of their power-play chances, the 8th best mark in the game, and scored twice with the extra man Friday against the Panthers. That, after failing to convert on their last three outings.
Henrik Zetterberg tallied four assists in Detroit's 4-1 victory over Toronto on Oct. 17th, and has taken 16 career points in 13 meetings with the Maple Leafs. His added an assist in the Wings' loss to Toronto Wednesday.
His 26 points and 21 assists lead the Wings, who will enjoy a four-game homestand after leaving Toronto.
"They're good," Phil Kessel said of Detroit. "You watch them play, they skate, they work, they got good defense and they got a good goaltender. Every night you play them, it's a tough game."
Petr Mrazek will sit in net for the Red Wings in relief of Howard. The 22-year-old Czech is 3-0 this season and a 2.59 goals-against tally, including a 34 save performance against Carolina, a 3-1 victory for Detroit Dec. 7th.
Detroit took the first two meetings with Toronto on consecutive nights in October before dropping the next two.
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