Maple Leafs 3, Red Wings 2 (SO)

[January 02, 2014]  ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Maple Leafs 3, Red Wings 2 (SO): Tyler Bozak scored in the third period before netting the decisive tally in the third round of the shootout as visiting Toronto won the Winter Classic before an announced record crowd of 105,491 at Michigan Stadium.

With the temperature teetering at 13 degrees and continuous snowfall hampering conditions on the ice, the Original Six rivals had difficulty moving the puck and maintaining any offensive consistency. Mother Nature briefly let up and the teams traded goals in both the second and third periods before Bozak ended the wild affair by snapping a low shot past United States Olympic goaltender Jimmy Howard and inside the left post.

James van Riemsdyk, who joined teammate Phil Kessel on the U.S. roster, scored while playing in his third Winter Classic and Jonathan Bernier made 41 saves for the Maple Leafs, who have won three in a row and improved 4-0-2 in their last six games. Captain Dion Phaneuf notched a pair of assists, one day after signing a seven-year, $49 million contract extension.

Daniel Alfredsson scored in his return from back spasms and former Michigan State star Justin Abdelkader backhanded home a centering feed to forge a tie with 5:32 remaining in the third period. Defenseman Brendan Smith set up both tallies and Howard turned aside 24 shots for the Red Wings, who have dropped nine of its their last 12 (3-6-3).

Detroit drew first blood by converting a 2-on-1 rush with 6:46 remaining in the second period as captain Henrik Zetterberg breezed in and wristed a centering feed that caromed off the right heel of Alfredsson and into the net. Van Riemsdyk answered from the right doorstep by batting the puck out of the air with 37 seconds left in the session before Bozak deflected Phaneuf's soft wrist shot from the left point to give Toronto as 2-1 lead at 4:41 of the third.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Officials from Guinness World Records were on hand to verify that the contest surpassed the current mark of the 104,173 who attended the "Big House" when Michigan cruised to a 5-0 triumph over rival Michigan State on Dec. 11, 2010. The largest crowd to witness an NHL game was 71,217, which occurred during the 2008 Winter Classic at the home stadium of the Buffalo Bills. ... Prior to the game, Toronto traded Ds John-Michael Liles and Dennis Robertson to Carolina for veteran D Tim Gleason. Liles was a healthy scratch for the Winter Classic. ... Alfredsson's goal was his 11th of the season and 437th career, tying Hall of Famer Pavel Bure for 64th all-time in NHL history. ... Actor Matthew Perry was in attendance for this game and plans to witness Anaheim face Los Angeles at Dodger Stadium on Jan. 25.

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