National Hockey League
Toronto 5, Detroit 4
When: 7:30 PM ET, Sunday, December 23, 2018
Where: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Ontario
Referees: Kendrick Nicholson, Garrett Rank
Linesmen: Brad Kovachik, Mark Shewchyk
Attendance: 19196

Kasperi Kapanen scored his second goal of the game at 1:53 of overtime, and the Toronto Maple Leafs, who tied the game in the final seconds of regulation, defeated the visiting Detroit Red Wings 5-4 Sunday night.

Kapanen made a whirling move before sending a backhand shot that skidded between the legs of Detroit goaltender Jonathan Bernier for his 14th goal this season.

Frans Nielsen gave the Red Wings a 4-3 lead 12 minutes into the third period, but John Tavares tied the game for Toronto on a tip-in with eight seconds left in regulation time.

Tavares and Morgan Rielly each had a goal and an assist for the Maple Leafs, who have won four in a row. Frederik Gauthier also scored a goal.

Garret Sparks made 26 saves for Toronto.

Filip Hronek, Christoffer Ehn and Michael Rasmussen also scored for the Red Wings. Bernier stopped 19 shots.

The Maple Leafs scored 27 seconds into the first period when Kapanen swiped a loose puck into the net.

The Red Wings tied the game at 3:45 of the first on an unassisted goal by Hronek, his second of the season.

Rasmussen scored his sixth goal on a tip-in of Dylan Larkin's shot at 19:18 of the first to give the Red Wings a 2-1 lead.

The Red Wings took a 3-1 lead at 9:53 of the second period when Ehn scored his first career NHL goal on a backhander after taking a long pass from Wade Megan.

The Maple Leafs retaliated with two straight goals to tie the game at 3.

Gauthier scored his first this season at 12:52 on a pass from the behind the net by Par Lindholm, and Rielly scored his 13th on a pass from Tavares at 14:00 of the second.

Nielsen scored his seventh goal when he put in the rebound off a shot from the right point by Niklas Kronwall at 12:03.

Tavares' 24th goal tied the game when he tipped in a shot by Jake Gardiner at 19:52 of the third with Sparks out of the net for an extra attacker.

The Maple Leafs called up Trevor Moore from the Marlies of the American Hockey League for the game, and he picked up an assist.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Detroit   Toronto
Christoffer Ehn 1 Points Kasperi Kapanen 2
Christoffer Ehn 1 Goals Kasperi Kapanen 2
Tyler Bertuzzi 1 Assists Morgan Rielly 1
N/A Power Play Goals N/A
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Jonathan Bernier .792 Save Percentage Garret Sparks .867
Jonathan Bernier 19 Saves Garret Sparks 26
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Detroit 30 4 0-3 2-2 4 28
Toronto 24 5 0-2 3-3 6 26
Upcoming Games
  • Toronto will play their next game on the road against Columbus. The Maple Leafs have a W/L % of .708 after a win and .615 after a loss.
  • Detroit will play their next game on the road against Pittsburgh. The Red Wings have a W/L % of .438 after a win and .364 after a loss.