Dylan Larkin’s breakaway finish 3:07 into overtime capped a statement 2-1 Detroit win, extended the Wings’ point streak to 8-of-9 and exposed Toronto’s suddenly fragile 1-2-2 slide.
Dylan Larkin went end-to-end in overtime, wiring a wrist shot past Joseph Woll to seal a 2-1 Detroit victory in Toronto and send the Red Wings to 7-1-0 in their last eight. The goal came moments after Moritz Seider pick-pocketed rookie Easton Cowan at the blue line, a single turnover that flipped the script on a night the Maple Leafs controlled long stretches.
The win vaults Detroit to 56 points, within striking distance of third-place Tampa Bay in the Atlantic, while Toronto’s 1-2-2 funk drops them to 60 points and intensifies pressure on a roster already missing William Nylander (groin) and now Oliver Ekman-Larsson (lower-body, two-minute night).
How the game turned
Scott Laughton opened scoring 4:46 into the first, capitalizing on a Detroit line change. The Leafs carried that 1-0 edge deep into the opening frame until Simon Edvinsson hammered home a rebound with 17.7 seconds left, a dagger that swung momentum despite Toronto’s 14-8 shot edge after 20 minutes.
The middle frame belonged to the goalies. John Gibson robbed Bobby McMann on a 2-on-1, while Woll denied Marco Kasper twice from the slot. A pivotal moment arrived late in the second: Laughton was awarded a penalty shot after being hooked on a shorthanded breakaway, only to lose the puck and fire wide—Toronto’s best chance to regain the lead.
Larkin delivers the payoff
Overtime lasted one rush. Seider’s stick lift, Larkin’s acceleration, and a bar-down snap shot over Woll’s glove ignited the Detroit bench and quieted Scotiabank Arena. It was Larkin’s 18th goal and league-leading fourth OT winner of 2025-26, further evidence the 29-year-old captain is driving Detroit’s late-season surge.
What it means for the standings
- Detroit: 25-18-6 (56 Pts) – two back of Tampa with two games in hand; Wild-Card cushion at three points.
- Toronto: 28-16-4 (60 Pts) – still second in Atlantic but only four clear of the Wings; schedule toughens with Vegas, Boston, and Florida on deck.
Key absences mounting for Leafs
William Nylander missed a third straight game with a groin strain, while Oliver Ekman-Larsson exited after 1:54 TOI, forcing Toronto to lean on rookie Topi Niemelä for 19:27. The blue-line depth will be tested further if Ekman-Larsson is sidelined long-term; GM Brad Treliving is already scanning the rental market for defensive help per NHL trade chatter tracked by the Associated Press.
Red Wings’ recipe: speed + structure
Coach Derek Lalonde has tightened Detroit’s neutral-zone gap, yielding just 19 goals against during the 7-1-0 stretch. The top line of Larkin–Lucas Raymond–Alex DeBrincat has produced 27 points in that span, while Seider leads all NHL defensemen with plus-11 since New Year’s. Thursday’s quick turnaround in Minnesota will test depth, but the Wings are finally healthy and buying in.
Next up
Detroit visits Minnesota on Thursday looking to run the streak to 8-1-0, while Toronto hosts Vegas on Friday desperate to stop a slide that could see the surging Wings pull even by the weekend.
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