The Capitals remain in playoff position, but couldn't show a lot in a 5-1 loss.
The Capitals remain in playoff position, but couldn't show a lot in a 5-1 loss.
Coming off their biggest victory of the season and riding a three-game winning streak, the Washington Capitals had a lot of momentum going into Thursday's tilt with the Toronto Maple Leafs. However, it depleted quickly, and ultimately, D.C. had little to show in a rough loss.
Washington got another strong game from Charlie Lindgren, but poor puck management and errors, as well as a lack of offense, led to a 5-1 loss.
Here are all the takeaways from the defeat as D.C. remains in Wild Card position.
Capitals Outshot, Outdone By Leafs, Carbery Shakes Up Lines To Ignite Spark
From the get-go, the Maple Leafs were all over the Capitals, who couldn't quite match Toronto's speed and offense. D.C. was outshot 19-9 in the first period and, ultimately, 48-25 over the course of the game.
Washington let the Leafs spend a good amount of time on the attack, leading head coach Spencer Carbery to shake up the lines in the third.
Hendrix Lapierre, who has showcased his speed over this latest call-up, went back on the top line with Alex Ovechkin, while Connor McMichael moved to the wing to operate with Dylan Strome and Aliaksei Protas.
Nic Dowd also moved up to play with Max Pacioretty and Ivan Miroshnichenko, while Mike Sgarbossa centered Beck Malenstyn and Nicolas Aube-Kubel.
Lindgren Does What He Can, But Breakdowns & Poor Puck Management Costly For Capitals
Washington got another strong game from Charlie Lindgren, who made his 13th start in 15 games, but it wasn't enough as he was left to dry quite a few times by the defense.
The Capitals netminder stopped 37 of 48 shots, including some grade-A chances, with the goals against coming after turnovers, missed assignments or poor reads by the defense. He also made some huge stops to keep Auston Matthews and WIlliam Nylander off the board.
Ultimately, Washington's poor puck management, and a failure to shut down Toronto's top competitors, led to the defeat.
Dowd Has Lone Goal
Washington did get on the board, with Nic Dwod deflecting home a Nick Jensen point shot for his second goal in as many games and his 10th of the season.
Jensen has assists in back-to-back games and four helpers in his last six outings, and Lapierre also picked up an assist, marking his 11th point in 16 games.