The Maple Leafs’ only goals in the final regular-season matchup of the 2024-25 season against the Detroit Red Wings: Roll the lines, and don’t get hurt (7:00 p.m. EST, TSN4).
Game Day Quotes
Red Wings head coach Todd McLellan on his team winning three in a row entering tonight’s game:
We are getting there. We have said a number of times on the bench down the stretch that maybe we are starting to get some things that we have worked on in our end. We are breaking out a little cleaner. The forecheck is an important part for us; we tend to be a good entry team, and it is starting to come.
I would caution everybody that these teams we have been playing are not as loaded as they would normally be. I would like our team to be playing against [full lineups] in a stressful situation, but it is not quite that. You take what you can get and find ways to win.
McLellan on the message to his team entering the final game of a lost season:
We ask them to play for each other. They owe it to each other to commit to these last three periods. I don’t think that is asking too much from each of them.
Some of the guys have personal goals that they’d like to reach. We could hit the 40-win plateau by playing well.
That is the message. Keep working and building our game.
Craig Berube on the keys to getting through the game unscathed:
There is no science to it. You go play. We will manage minutes and manage things as best as we can. Just go out, play smart, play hard, and do the things you normally do. That is really what it boils down to.
You can’t go out there and worry (about injuries). You can’t go out there and be tentative. You have to play the game. You can be smart. My job is to manage the minutes.
Berube on the signs of progress he wants to see from the Domi-Tavares-Nylander line:
There are things that I like, and there are things that I don’t particularly like all the time. For me, it is about them managing the puck more than anything. They have to understand that hope plays aren’t good plays. We need good hockey plays.
If they can get that mindset, it can be a dangerous line. There is a little bit of everything on the line. They’ve done a lot of good things, but there are things they can do better, too.
Morgan Rielly on the team’s goal for the final regular-season game:
You just want to go out there and play well. The guys have been putting in a lot of effort, and we have gotten to a point in the standings where we are happy. But playing tonight is still important to make sure we play inside structure and are feeling good heading into what’s ahead.
Morgan Rielly on the team’s goaltending down the stretch:
Outstanding.
All year, those guys have been great for us. In the last two games, they were both great. Beyond that, they have been playing outstanding hockey.
We’re very fortunate. It is on us to make life a little easier on them when we can.
John Tavares on the rotation of different linemates on the left wing of his line with William Nylander:
You are always trying to have an understanding of who you are playing with, what their strengths are, what makes them good hockey players, and how they can contribute to the team. You’re doing what you have to do to build chemistry and make the players around you better.
We’re familiar with all of the guys we have played with throughout this season or previous seasons. We’re trying to continue to adapt to each other and build chemistry.
Head-to-Head Stats: Maple Leafs (51-26-4) vs. Red Wings (39-35-7)
In the 2024-25 regular season statistics, Toronto holds the advantage in four out of five offensive categories and three out of five defensive categories.
Toronto Maple Leafs Projected Lines
Forwards
#23 Matthew Knies — #34 Auston Matthews — #16 Mitch Marner
#11 Max Domi — #91 John Tavares — #88 William Nylander
#74 Bobby McMann — #29 Pontus Holmberg — #89 Nick Robertson
#18 Steven Lorentz — #24 Scott Laughton — #19 Calle Jarnkrok
Defensemen
#44 Morgan Rielly — #51 Philippe Myers
#2 Simon Benoit — #8 Chris Tanev
#36 Dakota Mermis — #25 Brandon Carlo
Goaltenders
Starter: #60 Joseph Woll
#41 Anthony Stolarz
Injured: Jake McCabe, David Kampf, Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Injured (LTIR): Jani Hakanpää, Max Pacioretty
Detroit Red Wings Projected Lines
Forwards
#48 Jonatan Berggren — #71 Dylan Larkin — #23 Lucas Raymond
#93 Alex Debrincat — #92 Marco Kasper — #88 Patrick Kane
#27 Michael Rasmussen — #37 JT Compher — #11 Vladimir Tarasenko
#15 Craig Smith — #14 Tyler Motte — #24 Austin Watson
Defensemen
#77 Simon Edvinsson — #53 Moritz Seider
#8 Ben Chiarot — #46 Jeff Petry
#84 William Lagesson — #20 Albert Johansson
Goaltenders
Starter: #43 Petr Marzek
#34 Alex Lyon
Injured: Andrew Copp, Erik Gustafsson, Elmer Soderblom
