Wings Fall to Leafs in Datsyuk’s Return

Pavel Datsyuk played his first game of the exhibition season for the Detroit Red Wings on Friday but his presence enough wasn’t enough to lift the team to a win over the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs. Datsyuk was held without a point and the Red Wings lost, 4-3.

Detroit head coach Mike Babcock complained that the team didn’t go to the net enough while on the power play.

“I thought we made some nice passes but didn’t attack the net. We made one more pretty play, one more cute play, all night long, instead of doing what we had been doing, and in the end that came back to bite us.”

The Red Wings had twelve power plays but only converted on two of them, both while skating with a two-man advantage.

The Leafs got two power play goals late in the first period, with defenseman Chris Chelios in the penalty box. Mats Sundin scored with 2:19 remaining and Toronto skating 5-on-3. Maple Leaf newcomer Jeff O’Neill scored just under one minute later, at 1:20.

Brendan Shanahan scored Detroit’s first goal of the game 6:05 into the second, one of the Red Wings’ power play goals. Matt Stajan responded with a shorthanded goal for Toronto just 3:42 later.

Matheiu Schenider notched the Red Wings’ second goal on the power play with 7:49 remaining in the game’s middle frame but Detroit couldn’t pull even.

The Maple Leafs lone third period goal came from Carlo Colaiacovo at 8:58, while Kirk Maltby scored for Detroit with 5:05 remaining.

O’Neill scored the only goal of the shootout.

The two teams will meet again Saturday in Toronto.