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Red Wings Landon Ferraro (29) and Luke Glendening look for a rebound against Toronto goalie James Reimer.

(The Associated Press)

DETROIT – Landon Ferraro couldn’t have asked for much more in his NHL debut Tuesday.

He logged nearly 10 minutes of ice time and played on the penalty kill, his parents came to town on short notice to watch, and the Detroit Red Wings beat their rival Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 at Joe Louis Arena.

“I think it went pretty well,” Ferraro said. “I was a little nervous at the beginning and other than that I thought I played pretty well and kind of got comfortable a bit and just settled in.”

Ferraro was relieved to get bailed out in the second period by Jimmy Howard, after the fast-skating forward’s turnover at the Toronto blue line led to a breakaway pass to Phil Kessel.

“I thought I could kind of cut through the D and the guy’s stick was a little longer than I thought and it ended up being a deep pass to Kessel for a breakaway and Howie had to make a really big save,” Ferraro said.

Ferraro has no points and one shot on goal in 9:45. He logged 1:45 on the penalty kill.

“That’s where I’m going to have to try and make this team next year, being solid five-on-five and then being really good on the PK,” Ferraro said. “That’s where I’m going to have to try and earn my ice time and earn a spot so it’s kind of nice to get a feel for it tonight.

Said coach Mike Babcock: "We’re missing penalty killers and he did a real good job in that area. I like his speed. He’s got to get stronger, but he’s quick."

Ferraro was recalled from the Grand Rapids Griffins on Monday due to Justin Abdelkader's injury (leg laceration).

It meant a lot to him to have his parents, Tracey and Ray, in the stands. Ray was a long-time NHL player who scored 408 goals in the league.

“It’s not just my hard work that’s gotten me here, it’s watching and being around the rink with my dad and my mom driving me to practices every morning, especially since he was on the road a lot,” Ferraro said. “So it was real nice for both of them to be able to get in and be here for this.”

Carlyle: Red Wings did a good job disguising interference

Each team had four penalties, but Toronto coach Randy Carlyle felt the Red Wings could have been called for a few more.

“It seemed like there wasn’t a lot of space out there,” Carlyle said. “They had a job to do, as far as checking. I thought interference was supposed to be called in the NHL. Tonight was a clear-cut difference-maker in that for us we felt there was a lot of interference.

“You’ve got give them credit. They disguised it. They did a better job than we did. And they got some opportunities and scored some timely goals. … When you go in to forecheck, they step in front of people, holding people up.”

There were no interference calls on either side.

Notable/Quotable

Brendan Smith logged only 4:31 in five shifts while playing left wing during the first two periods. After Jonathan Ericsson's injury (broken finger), Smith moved back to defense in the third period, logging 5:12 in eight shifts.

Daniel Alfredsson scored what proved to be the winning goal, against a club he has tormented. He has 35 goals and 74 points in 83 career games vs. the Maple Leafs.

Red Wings goaltender Jimmy Howard: “This is what it’s going to be like for the rest of the season, this is what it’s been like for a while. We’ve got to keep scratching, clawing, find ways to get points.”

Babcock: “Lots of guys are getting opportunities, so the more guys that get injured the more opportunities for the young guys, so it’s a real positive thing for them. There are lots of guys that aren’t playing that are good players, but these guys did a good job tonight.”