All season long, the Detroit Red Wings have preached the importance of winning games against divisional opponents.
On Wednesday evening, they made good on their goal.
Dylan Larkin scored the overtime game-winning tally over the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena, giving Detroit a clean four-game season series sweep over their longtime Original Six rival.
For Larkin, it was his third overtime game-winning goal of the season, helping Detroit improve to 8-2 in OT.
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It’s also Detroit’s first regular-season sweep (min. four games) of the Maple Leafs since the 1995-96 season.
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Goaltender John Gibson continued his run of spectacular play since the beginning of December, making 30 saves for his 20th win of the campaign.
It was the Maple Leafs who got on the scoresheet first, thanks to Scott Laughton, who was left alone at the side of the net following a missed clearing attempt from defenseman Axel Sandin-Pellikka.
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Detroit earned multiple high-percentage scoring opportunities, but wasn’t able to penetrate goaltender Joseph Woll until late in the first period when Simon Edvinsson knotted the score at 1-1.
The Maple Leafs had a golden opportunity to seize the lead in the game’s middle frame when Laughton was awarded a penalty shot after being hooked on a partial shorthanded breakaway.
However, he fumbled the puck as he attempted to deke Gibson, never getting a clean shot off.
Neither team found the back of the net in the third period, setting up overtime.
In the extra session, it was defenseman Moritz Seider forcing a turnover at the Toronto blue line and feeding Larkin, who took the puck on his backhand and then roofed a forehand shot past the blocker of Woll, ensuring the extra point for the Red Wings.
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With the victory, the Red Wings improved to 31-16-4 and were put back into a first-place tie with the Tampa Bay Lightning for the top spot in the Atlantic Division.
Their road trip will continue on Thursday evening with a matchup against the Minnesota Wild.
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