2. Second frame a reversal of fortune as Wings take lead on even-strength, shorthanded markers. The Leafs have found themselves in trouble this season when outshot by their opponent - although oftentimes they've been bailed out by their goalies and timely goals - but of late, they've been burned when the other team dominates the shot counter and possession charts. Such was the case in the second period Friday, as the Wings outshot Toronto 13-5, evened the score at 5:22 of the frame (on a Danny DeKeyser marker), and took the lead on a shorthanded goal from Trevor Daley at 11:22.
The Buds did show more aggression toward the end of the second, but a pair of defensive breakdowns was all it took for a desperate Detroit squad - one that was seeking to end a three-game losing skid - to capitalize and grab their first lead of the night.
3. Detroit extends lead midway through third on power play.Toronto gave the Red Wings their third man advantage of the game at 8:06 of the third, and although penalty killers Connor Brown and Dominic Moore nearly collaborated on a shorthanded goal for the Leafs - with Moore narrowly missing a chance to convert a solid pass from Brown - Detroit came back down the ice and winger Tomas Tatar netted his 10th goal of the year to make it 3-1 for the home side.
The power play goal was the first the Buds have allowed in their past four games, but that's small consolation when your offense is having issues getting untracked. And given that Toronto had scored only three times in their previous three games, they needed to be as tight defensively as possible.
4. Wings give Buds chance to get back into it on power play, but Toronto can't convert.A holding minor on DeKeyser at the 14:10 mark of the third gave the Leafs a chance to cut Detroit's lead to a single goal entering the final stretch of regulation, but Toronto's power play looked disjointed and was unable to penetrate the inside of the ice for any extended stretch of time during the man advantage, their third of the game.
The Buds' power play has struggled of late, and while some will point to the injury-related absence of centre Auston Matthews (who missed his fourth consecutive game Friday), the truth is Toronto couldn't work its cycle game to any great impact, failed to win the majority of board battles, and didn't find a way to produce meaningful second-chance opportunities. It's going to be tough for any NHL team to register goals when that's the case.
5. Buds head home after third straight loss, face Canes Tuesday before finishing calendar year on extended road trip.The Leafs' road trip couldn't have gone worse, as Toronto failed to produce any points in the standings and now have lost three straight games. It's only the second time this season the Buds have lost more than two in a row - they dropped three in a row from Oct. 28-30 in losses to the Hurricanes, Flyers and Sharks - but if there is any good news, it's that they now have three full days off before playing a rare 2 p.m. game against Carolina at Air Canada Centre Tuesday.
That game will be meaningful in a number of ways: for one thing, it's the 100th anniversary of the very first game the Leafs played in the NHL; for another, it's Toronto's final home game of the calendar year before heading out on the road again and playing five straight road contests (in Columbus, New York City, Arizona, Colorado and Las Vegas). Getting back on track in front of Leafs Nation would be an excellent way to prepare them for that grind.