The Toronto Maple Leafs traveled to Washington, DC, for a matchup with the Capitals on Saturday night! Spoiler alert, it didn’t go well. The Toronto Maple Leafs lost 5-2 to Washington at Capital One Arena. It was a game with a good pace, but ultimately the Capitals were the better side. This is the second loss in consecutive games for the blue and white as they look ahead to Tuesday’s test Vs. Tampa Bay at Scotiabank Arena.
In the first period of this highly anticipated matchup, due to the return of Maple Leaf goaltender Ilya Samsonov to Washington! The game started with a good pace, rushes from both sides got both goaltenders warm early. Around the midway point, the deadlock was broken! Washington Capitals defenseman Erik Gustafsson scored his 1st-goal of the year! An awkward goal it was for Erik, initially, Samsonov stopped the puck with his skate blade, but the rebound was quickly put through Samsonov! As the rebound was put through, Ilya looked like he got caught in the middle of his reverse stance. After the Capitals opened the scoring, the Maple Leafs got one back right away! William Nylander scored his 18th goal of the season off a wicked slap-shot! The game was tied at one apiece, but it didn’t stay that way for long. Seconds after Nylander’s equalizer, Washington Capitals defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk scored his 4th-goal of the year! An outside wrist-shot that deflected off the stick of Maple Leafs defenseman Mark Giordano found the back of the net. The Capitals were strong enough to start this one, with lots of good opportunities, but the Leafs also had their chances. After twenty minutes of action, the first period ended with a 2-1 lead for the Capitals.
In the middle frame of this one, things got started early! Capitals defenseman Erik Gustafsson continued his offensive push adding another goal, his second of the game and his 2nd goal of the year! A filthy pass from Capitals forward Evgeny Kuznetsov found Gustafsson back door, who made no mistake! After the Capitals went up 3-1 early in the second period, the Maple Leafs got within one, thanks to Auston Matthews! Around four minutes after Gustafsson’s second of the game, an Auston Matthews wrister found its way through Capitals goaltender Charlie Lindgren! After Auston’s 16th goal of the year, the Maple Leafs slowly started to look more and more promising. It wasn’t the start you wanted to see from the blue and white, but they were battling! A close opportunity for Maple Leafs forward John Tavares just couldn’t be converted. Charlie Lindgren remained solid throughout the middle frame, sending the game into the second intermission with the Capitals up a goal.
In the final period of this one, similar to the second period, an early goal was scored! Capitals forward Garnet Hathaway fired a wrister up high on Samsonov! Garnet’s goal was his 3rd-goal of the season and came ten seconds into the period! After the Capitals took an early two goal advantage in the third, the Caps didn’t stop there! Capitals defenseman Erik Gustafsson continued his dominant offensive night, adding his third! The hat trick for Gustafsson was completed! The 30-year-old defenseman came into tonight’s game with zero goals on the season and left the game with three! Such a crazy performance for Erik, who was once known a lot more for his offensive game while he was with Chicago! After the Capitals went up 5-2, the Maple Leafs kept pushing. A few late chances for the blue and white were coming, but none could beat the Capitals goaltender. Charlie Lindgren has had a solid season for Washington, and he showed up tonight. Lindgren finished with 34 saves on 36 shots for a .944 save percentage! As the final horn went on and the game was over, all eyes will turn to next week for the Maple Leafs. After a dominant stretch of games, the Maple Leafs have now lost back-to-back. These last two games have come against strong opponents, so nobody should feel worried. However, it’s important to remain locked in on Tuesday’s game. The Lightning remain one of the better teams in hockey, which should make for a pretty good game at Scotiabank Arena!
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