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Morning After: Toront-Oh Dear

Posted on by Alex Ervin
Mar 28, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs forward Bobby McMann (74) and Washington Capitals defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk (57) battle for the puck during the third period at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

Last night was a rough one for the Washington Capitals—they dug themselves an early hole and were several steps behind the Toronto Maple Leafs all game. The Caps made lots of little mistakes, plus a few big ones, and it was clear that they knew it. Unfortunately, that awareness doesn’t flip the script on the 5-1 Leafs win.

This was one of those games that makes you want to say, “Burn the tape, move onto the next one.” At this point, that’s probably best with a matchup against the Bruins coming up next on Washington’s schedule. Keeping the momentum of their small winning streak going against Boston would have been a best-case scenario, but now the best way to go into Saturday’s game is to not dwell on last night. It also would have been nice to pick up some ground in the playoff race, but at least the Red Wings and Flyers also lost last night so the standings stayed the same. Let that be last night’s consolation prize, seeing as Alex Ovechkin didn’t score a goal.

Three Takeaways:

  • Nic Dowd, who was at the center of many a trade rumor at this year’s deadline, is once again proving how important he is to this team. With a goal last night, he has goals in back-to-back games and, more notably, has reached the 10-goal mark for the fourth consecutive season. Dowd set a career-high of 13 goals last season, when he played 65 games. At the rate he’s going, with 11 games left, he could very well improve on that marker.
  • Hendrix Lapierre also stayed hot last night with an assist on Dowd’s goal. He now has 11 points (6G, 5A) in his last 16 games, which is an impressive run for the young center. Lapierre was also fueling the Caps whenever he was out on the ice, making his presence known. In case you’re not convinced by the eye test, the numbers prove it too:
  • The Capitals are 0-3-0 against the Maple Leafs this season, and Toronto has outscored them 16-5. The Leafs won these games 4-1, 7-3, and 5-1. Fingers crossed that, if the Capitals make it to the postseason, they don’t have to face the Leafs, because Toronto has them all figured out.

They Said It:

Talking Points