"It's pretty special to do it here," said Larkin, who also established a career high for points (31-45--76) in a season. "My grandma was here. She's 88 now and came to the rink. I got to see her yesterday. It's always pretty special when you get to do that. That was pretty cool."
While Larkin put a bow on the evening, it was Olli Maatta who quieted the home crowd early with the game-opening goal just 90 seconds into the first period. Toronto was awarded a penalty shot shortly after it evened the score at 7:33, but Maple Leafs forward David Kampf was denied by Red Wings goalie Alex Nedeljkovic in the 1-on-1 battle. Jonatan Berggren restored Detroit's one-goal advantage at 12:45, then Larkin scored in the final minute of the frame to give Detroit a 3-1 lead.
"The good start has been key," Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde said. "We find ourselves scoring the first goal as of late, which has helped us. I just liked we managed our game from there."
Both clubs battled through a scoreless second period. The Maple Leafs brought themselves back within one on a power play early in the third, but Larkin's second tally at 10:16 put Detroit back in front by a pair. Larkin completed the hat trick with an empty-netter at 17:48 for the 5-2 final.
Nedeljkovic finished with a season-high 43 saves for his third consecutive victory, while Moritz Seider was credited with an assist and became just the sixth active defenseman to record multiple 40-point seasons before the age of 22.
Marco Kasper, who was Detroit's eighth overall pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, made his NHL debut and logged one shot as well as three hits in 14:59 of ice time.
"It's awesome," said Kasper, who became the first 18-year-old to play for the Red Wings since Martin Lapointe did during the 1991-92 season. "Playing my first game and getting my first win with the team, it's great."
NEXT UP:The Red Wings will face another Original Six foe on Tuesday night, squaring off against the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre.
