First Period

Auston Matthews with a great chance.

Washington retaliates with a hit on Jake McCabe and a few good shots on Joe Woll.

Mark Giordano takes a retaliation penalty against Ovechkin, so Washington goes to the power play which is pretty dreadful.

And in a surprise to no one, the Capitals almost immediately take a penalty. Tripping on Simon Benoit.

The broadcast just did a sermon on outworking the other team as the key to the Leafs getting success on the power play, and I mean. Look at who is on it. Jake McCabe! Tyler Bertuzzi and Bobby McMann. For all of that, the Leafs get a constant cycle going with some good chances.

Matt Knies with a scoring chance and a nice dish off the block to Giordano.

Gio! That's how you do it.

1-0 Leafs

Nick Jensen spends half an hour trying to jam the puck past Woll before anyone on the Leafs decides to do something about that.

Washington with another flurry, and all of these are adding up to more time with the puck than the Leafs.

TJ Brodie tries to score, but neither the shot, nor the juicy rebound cooperate. I really don't care if Brodie ever scores, but it's a thing, I guess.

Thoughts

Not the most action-packed or fast-skating game ever, but the score is tilted the right way. Washington seemed to ice the puck a lot and also nearly doubled the Leafs in Corsi. Wait what? I wrote that with three minutes to go, and by the end of the period, the Corsi was 20 all. The Leafs really came on strong at the end.

Second Period

Wow. Bertuzzi scores in about the first second of the period.

2-0 Leafs

This will surprise you: The Matthews line has been fabulous in this game.

Max Domi with a break, and he beats Lindgren but not the post. The Capitals bad line change that led to it was, well, bad.

Leafs are twice as fast as the start of the first in the brain and the feet. The Capitals are not.

Jensen with a shot tipped in front of Woll

2-1 Leafs

No one on Dowd.

John Tavares takes a penalty for hooking, and the Capitals get another power play.

Brodie plays Ovechkin like the Brodie of old. Is there hope for him in the playoffs?

Dylan Strome gets a rush which comes to naught.

The Leafs come back with... Reaves? And how does that end?

3-1 Leafs

Connor Dewar's first. That's just hard work in front of the net.

Lindgren with a ten-bell save on Matthews.

Thoughts

Matthews seems determined to play every other shift until he gets 60 and that period was all Leafs.

Third Period

Leafs score again early on an odd-man rush.

McMann gets it.

4-1 Leafs

Lots of action, no shots getting through to goalies.

Bertuzzi with another.

5-1 Leafs

Matthews is doomed to only watch goals scored tonight. Bertuzzi might get to 20 before Matthews gets 60.

Matthews has about 20 shots tonight, and just put up three shots on goal on one shift.

Thoughts

I said this last time. I don't care who the Flyers goalie is, if they lose out to this team, they should be ashamed.

Next game is Saturday against the Buffalo Sabres. Only 10 more to go!

Game Coverage