Leafs take over, topple Red Wings 4-2

Detroit - There's little doubt the Toronto Maple Leafs have some world class offensive players, and they certainly showed it Monday against the Red Wings.

Many of the Leafs' stars got on the scoresheet as Toronto rolled to a 4-2 victory over the Red Wings.

The loss ended the Wings' four-game winning streak, while Toronto (14-5-5) has won four straight.

"We had a lot of chances, we just didn't get the puck in the net," said captain Dylan Larkin, noting the Wings' 43 shots on net. "Credit to the way they played and (goaltender Matt) Murray in net, we had looks. In the slot, all around. We didn't capitalize, and they capitalized on their chances."

Moritz Seider opened the scoring with his second goal, 4 minutes, 45 seconds into the game, but the Leafs roared back with four unanswered goals.

Adam Erne cut the Leafs lead to 4-2 at 12:41 of the third period with his third goal, deflecting Seider's shot past goaltender Matt Murray. But the Leafs held on late.

"I liked our game," coach Derek Lalonde said. "A couple plays we left out there, a couple of misplays, but you put in in perspective their first shot was a goal midway through the first (period). It's one of those nights the puck just did not go our way, which is going to happen.

"Our guys hung in there, they played the right way for the most part. But it's just the way it went tonight."

Auston Matthews (11th goal), William Nylander (13th, on the power play), Mitch Marner (seventh goal, extending his consecutive point streak to 17 games), and Rasmus Sandin had Leafs goals while Murray made 41 saves.

Goaltender Ville Husso (nine saves on 13 shots) started but was replaced after Sandin's goal on a long drive from the top of the circle made it 4-1. Alex Nedeljkovic replaced Husso and stopped all 12 shots faced while seeing his first game action since Nov. 12.

Husso didn't see many quality shot, but the ones he did see were prime scoring opportunities for Toronto's offensive stars.

"You don't see much action at all, not in your end, and then it's Matthews and Marner, (in the) inner slot," Lalonde said. "I'm sure if you ask him he's going to want three of the four back but that's a tough task to not face much action at all and when we did give up (chances), it was unfortunately too good of looks to too good of players."

The Wings debuted their Adidas Reverse Retro jerseys, the first of six games they will wear them this season, but they certainly didn't bring them any good fortune.

If this was a measuring stick, the Wings came up a bit short but didn't feel as if they were at all overwhelmed.

"There's a great belief, and I know some guys have been talking about it with you guys, we believe every night we go into a building we have a chance to win," Larkin said. "That's the league we play in. Anybody can beat anyone on any given night. We were right there, and if we play that game again, we put the puck in the net more."

Matthews tied the score for Toronto with a blast from the high slot, off the rush, after getting a pass from Michael Bunting at 8:24 of the first period.

The goal from Matthews, who scored 60 last season and was the NHL's most valuable player, appeared to ignite the Leafs.

David Perron's high sticking penalty 11 seconds later quickly put the Leafs on the power play.

It didn't take long for Toronto to convert, as Nylander pounced on a rebound of Sandin's shot and tapped a shot past Husso.

The surging Marner extended the lead to 3-1 just 52 seconds into the second period.

Marner skated into the slot and snapped a shot that bounced off Husso's upper body and behind the goaltender, definitely a goal Husso would want back.

"That was a tough one, you don't want to see your goalie get pulled but Huss will be the first to say that he'd like a few of those back he said it to us," Larkin said. "We've been relying a lot on Huss and a shot like that goes in, it is deflating, but it happens."

ted.kulfan@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @tkulfan