NHL scores 2017: Maple Leafs learn a lesson in holding a lead

Toronto’s M.O. this season is well-known by now: Blitz opponents with speed and skill and then watch early leads evaporate.

It’s the telltale sign of any young team. Gaining leads is easy if you have the skill to attain them. And boy, do the Maple Leafs have the talent. Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander didn’t score on Tuesday against the Detroit Red Wings. They didn’t have to!

Instead, Alexey Marchenko, James van Riemsdyk, and Nazem Kadri staked them to that oh-so-familiar 3-0 lead.

And then, we all got our popcorn and waited for it to disintegrate. Something tells us Leafs fans, did, too. Just with nail-biting instead of kernel-biting.

Two goals from Gustav Nyquist brought the inevitable closer to conclusion. But the Leafs buckled down and held on for the win and a valuable two points.

It wasn’t perfect (a high-sticking penalty to Henrik Zetterberg late helped), but it was a successful lesson in late-game stability and lead-holding the youthful Leafs needed.

Blues 2, Wild 1

Avalanche 3, Hurricanes 1

Ducks 4, Predators 3 (SO)

Islanders 4, Oilers 1

Canadiens 2, Canucks 1

Blue Jackets 2, Devils 0

Maple Leafs 3, Red Wings 2

Flyers 6, Sabres 3

Rangers 5, Panthers 2

1. The Habs are rolling

Amazing what a hot run from Carey Price can do for the Canadiens. In his last five starts, Price has posted a .964 save percentage while leading Montreal to wins in each of them.

Montreal needed more than just Price on Tuesday, though. Montreal’s scoring woes reared their ugly head again, and only a Brian Flynn goal in overtime let the Habs walk away with both points.

2. Radko Gudas is much more than a bruiser

That revelation is one of the more pleasantly surprising things about the last two seasons. Gudas was a beast at even strength on Tuesday, just one of dozens of times this year that he’s been effective up and down the ice.

3. Mike Yeo gets revenge

St. Louis had a pretty important game on Tuesday: Not only was it Mike Yeo’s first game coaching against the team that fired him a year ago, it was a test for the Blues against the best team in the Western Conference for much of the season.

Full marks on both accounts. The Blues shut down the Wild for much of the game, and Jake Allen put up 34 saves and one of his best performances in recent memory. It was the kind of game St. Louis needed to win not only to keep pace in the playoff race, but also to prove to themselves they’re still playoff-caliber.