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18 Odd Facts from a Game for the Ages: Maple Leafs Beat Red Wings 10-7

On Saturday night, the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Detroit Red Wings by a score of 10-7. It was an odd game. What were some odd facts?

The Toronto Maple Leafs, led by its amazing first line of Mitch Marner, Auston Matthews, and Michael Bunting, beat the Detroit Red Wings by a score of 10-7 on Saturday night. The trio of Matthews, Marner, and Bunting led the Maple Leafs’ outburst by collectively garnering 15 points in what was one of the oddest (and highest scoring) games in a long, long time. It was a Game for the Ages.

In this post, thanks to some work by statistics specialist (from The Hockey Writers) Rob Couch, I’ll share some of the oddest facts from the game.

Related: Marner’s Field Goal Leads Maple Leafs to 10-7 Win: Oops Wrong Sport

Fifteen Odd Facts from Maple Leafs’ Win Over the Red Wings

Odd Fact #1: Maple Leafs’ Players with Four-Point Games

Mitch Marner, Auston Matthews, and Michael Bunting were the first three Maple Leafs’ teammates each to have four-plus points in a game since 2005 when Jeff O’Neill, Jason Allison, Darcy Tucker, and Bryan McCabe did it.

Odd Fact #2: Big Maple Leafs Scoring Against the Red Wings

The Maple Leafs beat the Red Wings by a score of 7-4 on January 29. Saturday’s 10-7 score made it the first time the Maple Leafs had scored seven goals in back-to-back games vs the Red Wings in franchise history.

Odd Fact #3: Two Players with Hat Tricks in One Season

Both Bunting and Marner have logged hat tricks this season against the Red Wings. When Marner did it on Saturday night, it was the sixth time more than one Maple Leafs’ player had scored a hat trick against the Red Wings in a season.

Auston Matthews Mitch Marner Maple Leafs
Auston Matthews Mitch Marner Maple Leafs

Odd Fact #4: Good Company for a Maple Leafs’ Rookie

Bunting was the first Maple Leafs’ rookie to have a four-point road game since Matthews did it in 2016.

Odd Fact #5: Marner’s Natural Hat Trick

Against the Red Wings, Marner scored the first natural hat trick for the team since Nazem Kadri had one in 2013.

Odd Fact #6: Bunting Setting Maple Leafs’ Rookie Records

With his goal on Saturday, Bunting now has scored the seventh-most goals by a rookie in his first 52 games of a season in franchise history. He has 18 goals. Matthews holds the Maple Leafs’ record with 25.

Odd Fact #7: Bunting’s Five-Point Game

Bunting is the ninth Maple Leafs’ rookie to record five points in a game and the first to do so in 55 years (since 1967-68).

MIchael Bunting Toronto Maple Leafs

Odd Fact #8: Poor Goalie Performances

Saturday’s Maple Leafs and Red Wings game produced the worst combined statistical goalie performance since the NHL started tracking in 2007. On the night, there were 17 goals against when there were only 4.8 expected goals-for.

Odd Fact #9: Most Maple Leafs Goals Without a Power Play Goal

For the first time since 1947, the Maple Leafs scored 10 goals in a game without a single power-play goal. Even odder perhaps is the fact the Maple Leafs didn’t play with the man advantage for the entire game.

Odd Fact #10: Most Combined Goals Without a Power Play Goal

Saturday night was the first game to have 17 or more combined goals without one scored on the power play since 1945 between the New York Rangers and Boston Bruins.

Odd Fact #11: Most Goals in a Game for Over 11 Years

In Saturday’s game, the Maple Leafs and Red Wings combined for the most goals in an NHL game since 2011. In that game, the Winnipeg Jets beat Philadelphia Flyers by a score of 9-8 (also 17 goals).

Odd Fact #12: Last Game with More than 17 Goals: 25+ Years Ago

The last game where more goals were scored than Saturday was on January 13, 1996. On that date, the San Jose Sharks beat the Pittsburgh Penguins by a score of 10-8. Ray Sheppard scored a hat trick in that game. By the way, Connor McDavid was both exactly a year to the day after that game. Likely a coincidence?

Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers

Odd Fact #13: Maple Leafs Have Scored 10 Goals on the Road 10 Times

Saturday was the 10th time in team history the Maple Leafs had scored 10 or more goals on the road. They’ve done it 26 times at home (for 36, 10-goal games in total).

Odd Fact #14: First 10-Goal Game in 15 Years

Saturday night was the first time in 15 years (since 2007) the Maple Leafs had scored 10 goals in a game. It was the 10th time they’ve scored 10 goals since 1976-77. (“Maple Leafs report cards: Mitch Marner scores four goals, Toronto wins ridiculous 10-7 game”, The Athletic, Feb. 27, 2022).

Odd Fact #15: Mitch Marner’s First Career Hat Trick

Saturday was Mitch Marner’s first career hat trick. He’s been a big point-producer for the Maple Leafs and now has the fifth-most career five-plus point games in history with three. By the way, Darryl Sittler has the most five-plus-point games in Maple Leafs’ history with seven.

Odd Fact #16: Marner’s Six-Point Game Was the First in 16 Years

Marner became the first Maple Leafs’ player to have six points in a single game since Mats Sundin did it in 2006.

Odd Fact #17: Scoring Three Goals in a Single Period Is Rare

On Saturday, Marner became the fifth different Maple Leafs’ player to score three goals in a period during the last 25 years.

Odd Fact #18: Marner Joins Maple Leafs Four-Goals-Game Club

Marner had an incredible night and became the fourth Maple Leafs’ player in the last 22 years to score four goals in a game. The other players are John Tavares, Auston Matthews, and Mats Sundin.

Related: Maple Leafs Auston Matthews Is Laying His Claim on the Hart Trophy

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