The Washington Capitals came to Scotiabank Arena looking to make it four wins in a row. The Toronto Maple Leafs were looking to stop their losing streak after two pretty tough games. Only one of those things could happen, and unfortunately it did not shake out in Washington’s favor.
Plus: The Capitals didn’t get shut out and no one got injured! Huzzah!
Minus: The Capitals allowed early goals in both the second and third periods, which did not help with any potential momentum-building they had planned on after intermission. They were down 0-1 after one and allowed the Tyler Bertuzzi goal just 18 seconds into the second, and then they were down 1-3 after two and allowed the Bobby McMann goal 1:06 into the third. This whole “allowing goals really early or really late in periods” thing sounds awfully familiar to last week’s meeting between these two teams, which is not great for the Caps.
Key Moment: Halfway through the third period, the Leafs were holding onto their 4-1 lead. The Capitals, while not boasting a strong record this season when trying to come back from a multi-goal deficit, weren’t completely out of it yet. Then came the dagger: a brutal turnover from Trevor van Riemsdyk that resulted in Bertuzzi’s second goal of the night. If there was any air left in Washington’s sails, it went poof into the night.
Caps Player of the Game: Once again, give it up for Charlie Lindgren. Once again, he did pretty much everything he could to keep his team in the game. Auston Matthews, who wasn’t even certain for tonight’s game, was a man on a mission tonight, but so was Lindgren. Matthews had ten shots on goal, and Chuck stopped all ten of them.
Final Thoughts: The ice at Scotiabank Arena did not pass the eye test tonight, but neither did the Washington Capitals. The Leafs played like a team that wanted to curtail a losing streak after two rough losses this week, and the Capitals looked…not close to a team that wanted to extend their winning streak. Toronto apparently has Washington’s number this season, as tonight’s Leafs’ win completes their season sweep of the Caps.