The Washington Capitals kicked off their Canadian back-to-back with a win at Scotiabank Arena last night, beating the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-1. The Caps and Leafs were fairly evenly matched all night, but Washington kept the pressure on in the third period and did not allow Toronto to get anything going. This victory was the Capitals’ first win in Toronto since 2019, and it also extended their road winning streak to a franchise-record eight games. While it wasn’t the prettiest game the Caps have played, it was lightyears better than their performance against the Sharks on Tuesday—exactly what they needed.
Last night’s box score isn’t a thrilling one, but there were a few moments worth highlighting. One of those moments? Connor McMichael’s go-ahead goal at 9:51 of the third period. The tally was a result of excellent forechecking from Washington’s second line: Pierre-Luc Dubois forced a turnover by Auston Matthews in the corner, and McMichael was down in front for the layup goal.
This was McMichael’s 12th 5-on-5 goal of the season, which is tied for most in the league. He was the one who found the back of the net, but the goal would not have happened without Dubois. PLD had been matched up against Auston Matthews all game, shutting the superstar forward down for 60 minutes and forcing him into making a costly mistake on this play.
We would be remiss if we didn’t also mention the stroke of luck that factored in on this tally: Matthews’ turnover bounced off the ref behind the net. However, was it still an ill-advised play from the Leafs’ captain and then also Anthony Stolarz? Absolutely.
The Capitals face off against the Montreal Canadiens tonight—hopefully they can carry this momentum with them and keep their road winning streak alive.