DETROIT — There was no panic, no feeling sorry for themselves Sunday. Just keeping doing the job, and the Red Wings might finally be rewarded.

The Wings were struggling against the Toronto Maple Leafs, attempting to earn points for the standings after losing the night before in Carolina.

The Wings’ persistence finally paid off, with Mason Appleton tying the game 2-2 early in the third period — just after Toronto had taken the lead — and Simon Edvinsson driving to the net and getting the game-winner in a 3-2 victory.

“Going into OT, we were confident,” Appleton said.   

For good reason. The victory was the Wings’ 11th comeback win this season and raised their record to 7-2 in overtime.

“A lot of people have confidence,” Edvinsson said of the Wings’ mindset late in games. “We don’t try to force stuff. Very confident out there. You can see it in a lot of guys. A lot of guys are stepping up when we need them the most. Mo (Seider) has been doing that a lot lately. What a player that is. All the credit (to Seider) for getting us going there on the first goal.”

Seider’s late second-period goal tied the game, 1-1, and seemed to get the Wings going.

The victory kept the Wings (23-14-3, 49 points) atop the Atlantic Division and tied with Carolina for most points in the Eastern Conference entering Monday. It was the Wings’ third win against division-rival Toronto this season, with one game left between the teams. Toronto is only two points out of a playoff spot — but trail the Wings by nine points in the standings.

“We believe that you have to win your season series, especially against teams in your own division,” coach Todd McLellan said. “We’re guaranteed to win that series. We’d like to take more points, but we’re guaranteed to win that They all count at the end and that’s a team (Toronto) that we and everybody else in this conference will be fighting for positioning in April.”

‘Rose from dead’

Edvinsson’s game-winning overtime goal will be talked about for a while, given the dramatic victory and the fact Edvinsson left the game in the second period after taking an Auston Matthews’ shot to his knee.

Edvinsson definitely felt “something was off.”

“I couldn’t feel my foot or my knee, from the knee and down, and hit some nerves or something,” Edvinsson said. “I didn’t know what I was doing there for a while. But I felt something touch my stick and there was the puck and then I was just trying to lay on the puck for a while. So, it was a lot happening that shift.”

Teammates were rather shocked when they saw Edvinsson return to the game.

“Me and Ras (Michael Rasmussen) looked each other, like, ‘Oh my God, he’s back,” Appleton said. “He rose from the dead and came back and scored an unbelievable goal. That was a gutsy effort, and it’s kind of a good karma thing how he gets rewarded at the end with that overtime winner.”

The goal was Edvinsson’s fifth (and 14th point), as he’s well on his way to surpassing last season’s total of seven, which was a career high.

“He’s got offense,” McLellan said. “Sometimes I wish he would shoot more because he’s got a really good shot. He loads it at the blue line and then he’s ready to shoot but he’s still looking for all these options. If he’d just rip them every now and then, he’d score a few more goals.

“His game is going to evolve,” he added.

Van Riemsdyk update

Forward James van Riemsdyk (lower body) missed both games last weekend after getting hit by a puck during the Dec. 23 game against Dallas. Though van Riemsdyk finished the game — he had a goal and assist — he was unable to play the two games after the three-day holiday break.

McLellan is optimistic van Riemsdyk can practice this week.

“Hopefully we can get him on the ice and get him skating,” McLellan said. “He needs his legs, obviously, to do his job. That shot got him in a bad spot.”

After a slow start, van Riemsdyk has been one of the most consistent Wings’ goal-scorers, with nine goals. He’s never scored less than 11 goals in a season during his 16-year NHL career.