Toronto Maple Leafs: Three Takeaways From Centennial Classic Win

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Jan 1, 2017; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs center Mitch Marner (16) shoots as Detroit Red Wings defenseman Brendan Smith (2) defends during the Centennial Classic ice hockey game at BMO Field. The Maple Leafs beat the Red Wings 5-4 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports /

The Kids Continue To Steal The Show

Aside from the Komarov goal, Toronto’s youth provided the offense in the latter portion of the game.

Marner broke the 1-1 tie and brought the crowd to their feet. After picking up the loose puck, he slipped past Mantha and went top-shelf to beat Coreau. Then a few moments later, Brown took a pass from Zach Hyman and buried it to give Toronto a quick 3-1 lead.

Detroit managed to keep Matthews in check, but that changed in the middle of the third period. On a three on one, Brown set-up Matthews, who went upstairs to get his first goal of the game. That would not be all from Matthews. After Toronto blew a three-goal lead he jumped on the puck and backhanded it for the game-winner.

The youth on the team continues to flourish, learning from their mistakes and at the forefront of the offense. Take the start of the season when Toronto could not recover after blowing a lead. They could not keep dig their way out of these holes, but they kept their composure against Detroit. Resulting in Matthews bailing out the team and continuing their longest winning streak of the season.

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