After defeating the Detroit Red Wings in overtime by a 4-3 final score on Oct. 5, the Toronto Maple Leafs faced off against Detroit again for their final preseason contest on Oct. 7. Unfortunately for the Maple Leafs, they did not emerge as victorious in this tilt, falling to the Red Wings by a 4-3 score. Overall, the Maple Leafs had some notable hiccups in this game, including allowing four unanswered goals, but it was not all bad. Let’s take a look at three takeaways from this Original Six matchup now.
Ellis Stands Out Against Hometown Team
One Maple Leaf who stood against the Red Wings was prospect Max Ellis. The 5-foot-9 forward scored a nice goal against the Red Wings that was beautiful in more ways than one. The Michigan native showed immense confidence with the puck, skating it from end to end. Once getting into the offensive zone, he stick-handled to the outside and fired a hard shot that cleanly beat Red Wings goaltender Ville Husso.
Some of that home(town) cookin' 👨🍳 pic.twitter.com/Xd89cDi69e
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) October 8, 2023
Besides his impressive goal, Ellis also recorded an assist in this contest, giving him a multi-point game. He also was noticeable besides on the scoresheet, as he was very fast with and without the puck, showed poise when carrying the puck, and was hard on the forecheck. This was great to see from the undrafted forward but especially when noting that he was playing against his home state team.
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Although Ellis is expected to start the season in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Toronto Marlies, it is hard not to like what we saw from him against the Red Wings. Perhaps he could get a call-up when injuries arise if he continues this kind of play with the Marlies from here.
Kyle Clifford’s Two-Assist Night
Although he has not gotten a lot of attention, veteran winger Kyle Clifford has had some solid moments this preseason. The 32-year-old is doubtful to make the Maple Leafs’ NHL roster, but he showed last night that he still has the potential to be a decent call-up option if needed. He notably had a multi-point night against the Red Wings, recording two assists.
Clifford played a big part in Ellis’ goal during this game. While in the defensive zone, the veteran forward made a nice saucer pass to Ellis while being heavily defended. From there, Ellis had plenty of free ice to work with, and he of course took advantage of it by scoring.
As for his second assist, Clifford put together a great effort with the puck. After retrieving the puck in the corner, Clifford took it behind the net before showing confidence with it by spinning around and heading back toward the corner. From there, while being heavily defended, he made a one-handed pass to Tommy Miller, where he scored from the point.
Overall, Clifford showed immense effort and confidence with this play, and it ultimately resulted in him recording two helpers.
Maple Leafs Blow Another Multi-Goal Lead
As noted above, the Maple Leafs were well on their way to winning this game. They had a two-goal lead with nine minutes left in the second period. By the end of the second period, the Maple Leafs were down 3-2 to the Red Wings and allowed two goals in the final minute of it. From there, the Maple Leafs allowed a goal in the third to Daniel Sprong, which would be the Red Wings’ fourth unanswered. Overall, it was a dramatic change to the game that the Maple Leafs ultimately could not bounce back from.
With this being the preseason and sporting primarily an AHL roster in this contest, this loss is not the biggest deal in the world. With that, goaltender Joseph Woll still had some strong moments in this game and saved 28 out of 32 shots. However, it is never fun to see a multi-goal lead blown, so that naturally is one of the major talking points from this one.
With this loss to the Red Wings, the Maple Leafs’ preseason is finally over. They finished the preseason with a solid 4-2-2 record, and there were plenty of positive moments throughout it. Now, the Maple Leafs have some major decisions to make with their roster before their opening night matchup against the Montreal Canadiens on Oct. 11. It is going to be a must-see Original Six contest, and it will be fun to see if the Maple Leafs can start the regular season on the right foot.
