The Capitals fell 7-3.
The Washington Capitals were on a mission to shut down Auston Matthews and the Toronto Maple Leafs in an effort to get back in playoff territory. Things didn't go according to plan.
Alex Ovechkin struck twice, but ultimately, Washington struggled in a 7-3 loss to Toronto.
Here are all the takeaways from the defeat, which ends a three-game winning streak and keeps D.C. one point out of a playoff spot.
Capitals Fail To Shut Down Matthews & Leafs Offense, Can't Stay Disciplined
Washington didn't exactly get off to the start it wanted, as a turnover in the defensive zone led to a goal just 16 seconds in for Auston Matthews, who got to the front and buried a nifty feed past Charlie Lindgren to make it a 1-0 game. It marked Matthews' 56th goal of the season, and has potential to be deflating.
Though the Capitals recovered and had a decent showing in the first, things started to fall apart and slip away in the second, as Toronto tilted the ice and outshot D.C. 14-7. Going into the third, Washington was only down by two, but spent most of the period killing off multiple penalties. Though the team went 4-for-5 on the PK, it didn't help the situation at hand.
At the end of the day, things snowballed, as Matthews struck again and picked up three assists en route to the seven spot. Charlie Lindgren stopped 22 of 29 in the loss.
Ovechkin Strikes Twice Again, Power Play Stays Hot
On the bright side, Washington got two goals from Ovechkin, one on the power play in the second and another early in the first period.
It marked Ovechkin's second straight multi-goal game as he remains hot in the second half of the season with 15 goals in his last 22 outings.
He is at 23 goals on the season and sits at 845 in his career, moving him within 50 of Wayne Gretzky for the all-time record.
Meanwhile, the power play now has goals in 11 of the last 13.
Top Shelf Takes
- Connor McMichael scored his 15th of the season and has goals in three of his last four.
- Ivan Miroshnichenko picked up an assist and has two helpers in his last three games.