Detroit Red Wings collapse in 3rd period in 3-2 loss to Toronto Maple Leafs in Sweden
STOCKHOLM — The Detroit Red Wings put themselves in a good position, and then a former teammate picked them apart.
Playing back-to-back games in the Global Series, the Wings were unable to close out the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday at Avicii Arena, instead letting a two-goal third-period lead dissipate into a 3-2 loss.
Lucas Raymond celebrated a second straight goal on home-country ice, but the Wings were able to squeeze only one point out of their games in Sweden.
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The Wings started well Friday, doing a good job helping out third-string goaltender Alex Lyon as he emerged from a six-month hiatus. Daniel Sprong got Wings fans cheering when he smoothly converted on a penalty shot in the second period, breaking a scoreless tie.
Then the Leafs did what the Wings did to the Senators the night before, and dug out of a hole (albeit a smaller one). It was ex-Wing Tyler Bertuzzi who provided the spark, from scoring early in the third period to setting up John Tavares with five minutes to play, sandwiched around a power play goal by William Nylander.
Raymond stars again
Raymond, whose status as the sole Swede on the roster kept him busy over the past week playing host, delivered a second goal in as many days. On Thursday, he ignited a four-goal rally; on Friday, he breathed a bit of a buffer into the lead. Defenseman Jake Walman left mid-second period after crashing into the net and being helped off the ice, which left the Wings to scramble their pairings. Ben Chiarot jumped out to take a shift with Moritz Seider, which is how Chiarot came to have the puck at the blue line. Eyeing Raymond in the left circle, Chiarot sent him a pass that Raymond flicked into Toronto's net on the far side past goalie Ilya Samsonov. While his Thursday celebration was muted by a 4-1 deficit, the goal against the Leafs elicited pure joy.
Lyon in waiting
With Ville Husso back in Detroit having just welcomed a baby daughter, it fell to Lyon to play the second night of the back-to-back. The 30-year-old saw action during exhibition season this fall, but has not played a game where the outcome mattered since June 5, when he came in in relief for the Florida Panthers during the Stanley Cup Final. Lyon's first save came around two minutes in, on a tip-in attempt by Bertuzzi. The Wings limited the Leafs to five shots on net in the first period.
Hand to hands
The Wings had squandered three man advantages when Morgan Rielly was called for closing his hand on the puck in the crease midway through the second period, handing the Wings a penalty shot. Sprong pulled it off like an everyday task, calmly skating up ice, deking out Samsonov and then beating him with a wrist shot. It was Sprong's fifth goal of the season, he also had one of the Wings' few chances on an early power play.
Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames. Her latest book, “On the Clock: Behind the Scenes with the Detroit Red Wings at the NHL Draft,” is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Red Wings collapse in 3rd in 3-2 loss to Toronto Maple Leafs
