For the past several seasons, both the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs have been trying to clear hurdles in front of them.

Or overcome stumbling blocks. It all depends upon your perspective.

Winning playoff series has proven to be Toronto’s hobgoblin. The Maple Leafs have won just two series since 2004.

Making the playoffs is Detroit’s nemesis. The Red Wings last played in the NHL postseason in the spring of 2016.

First in the Atlantic Division with one game to play in 2025, it would appear at this juncture that the Red Wings are about to end their playoff skid.

The Leafs? Well, they just might be embarking upon their own postseason drought.

Following Sunday’s 3-2 overtime loss to the Red Wings, Toronto sits second-last in the Eastern Conference. Granted, the Maple Leafs are only two points out of a playoff spot. Still, this isn’t where the team usually takes up residency so late into an NHL season.

For that reason alone, there must be cause for concern in Leaf land.

Toronto trails first-place Detroit by nine points, which leads to another debate that suddenly warrants merit.

Have the Red Wings surpassed the Maple Leafs?

Is Detroit now a better team than Toronto?

Red Wings Perfect Against Maple Leafs This Season

The head-to-head record certainly suggests this is the case. Detroit is 3-0 against Toronto. It’s the first time the Red Wings have beaten the Maple Leafs three times in the same season since 1995-96.

“It’s huge,” Detroit forward Mason Appleton said. “When you look at the standings and who you size up against and who you need to be above, you kind of, you have a season series with kind of everyone … and obviously we put a stranglehold on that one.”

Fun fact: Dennis Hildeby has made more saves this season (351) than Joseph Woll (325) and Anthony Stolarz (312) despite starting at least two fewer games than both.

— luke fox (@lukefoxjukebox) December 29, 2025

Sizing up the two teams, a lot of check marks go in Detroit’s favor. You’d rather have Detroit’s top defense pairing of Moritz Seider and Simon Edvinsson than the Toronto tandem of Morgan Rielly and Philippe Myers. The Red Wings are also better between the pipes.

On paper, you can definitely argue that Toronto captain Auston Matthews is the most talented player on either team. But the Leafs don’t have a single 20-goal scorer so far this season. Detroit has two of them – captain Dylan Larkin and Alex DeBrincat.

Seider, Raymond, DeBrincat, and Larkin all have 30+ points.

Last time the Red Wings had four players with 30+ points at this point in a season: 2011-12 (Datsyuk, Franzen, Filppula, Zetterberg).@DetroitRedWings #LGRW pic.twitter.com/OY282BN0UM

— Daniella Bruce (@daniellabruce_) December 29, 2025

Red Wings coach Todd McLellan likes how well his team has handled Toronto this season.

“We believe that you have to win your season series, especially against teams in your own division,” McLellan said. “We’re guaranteed to win that series. We’d like to take more points, but we’re guaranteed to win that one.

“So real important, tight. They all count at the end. And that’s a team that we and everybody else in this conference will be fighting for positioning in April.”

Are the Red Wings a better team than the Maple Leafs?

They certainly are right now.