Red Wings rally to dump visiting Maple Leafs 4-2 in pre-season tilt

DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings spotted the Toronto Maple Leafs an early 2-0 lead, but managed to claw back and beat their longtime rival 4-2 in NHL pre-season action on Friday.

Tyler Bertuzzi led the Red Wings with two goals, including an empty netter, while Elmer Soderblom and Joe Veleno added singles for the Red Wings, who improved their pre-season record to 3-4. Veleno’s game-winning goal was scored at 8:13 of the third period.

Nick Abruzzese, who scored before the game was two minutes old, and Rasmus Sandin replied for the Maple Leafs, who slipped to 4-2 in the pre-season.

Detroit outshot Toronto 27-23 and trailed 2-0 after the first period. The teams were tied 2-2 entering the final frame.

Alex Nedeljkovic went the distance in goal for Detroit and stopped 21 of the 23 shots he faced. Ilya Samsonov played the whole game in goal for Toronto and stopped 23 of 26 shots.

Both teams play each other Saturday in Toronto to wrap up their pre-season schedules.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 7, 2022.