The Toronto Maple Leafs’ injury troubles deepened again on Wednesday night, adding another layer of concern to an already frustrating stretch. Toronto dropped a 2-1 overtime decision to the Detroit Red Wings, their second straight loss, and came out of the game banged up on the blue line.
Leafs’ Injury Woes Grow as Two Players Go Down in Loss to Red Wings
The loss also came with an unwanted milestone. Toronto dropped all four regular-season games to Detroit, marking just the second time in the rivalry’s 99-year history that the Leafs have been swept in a season series of at least four games. The only other occurrence was in 1995-96, when the Red Wings went 5-0-0 against them. Add in two preseason losses, and Detroit proved to be a problem for Toronto all season long.
Trouble set in early as well. Defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson exited at the 8:57 mark of the first period after his right leg twisted awkwardly following a collision with Lucas Raymond. “Lower body right now,” Leafs HC Craig Berube said. “I’ll know more tomorrow after they’ve evaluated him and we see where he’s at.”
There was more concern after the game when NHL insider Chris Johnston reported that, “There’s concern Brandon Carlo tweaked something as well.” Carlo had only recently returned to the lineup after undergoing lower-body surgery earlier this month, making the situation even more troubling for Toronto’s already thin defense corps.
Ekman-Larsson has been an important piece for Toronto this season, suiting up for 50 games and producing 8 goals and 23 assists while posting a plus-8 rating. Carlo played 20:56 against Detroit and has four assists in 27 appearances this year.
If both are sidelined, they would add to an already lengthy injury list that includes Chris Tanev, Anthony Stolarz, Dakota Mermis, Dakota Joshua, and William Nylander, putting even more strain on the Leafs’ depth as the season wears on.
Game Recap
On the ice, Toronto struck first. They opened the scoring at 4:46 of the first period when Scott Laughton buried a loose puck in the slot, but Detroit tied it late in the second on Simon Edvinsson’s goal before Dylan Larkin sealed a 2-1 overtime win at 3:08.
The Leafs outshot the Red Wings 14-7 in the second period, but Detroit took over late, holding a 13-5 edge in the third and a 6-0 advantage in overtime.
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Now third last in the Atlantic at 24-17-9, Toronto turns its attention to Friday’s matchup against the Vegas Golden Knights.
