Capitals Rally to Burn Leafs, 6-5

Posted on January 3, 2017 by Jon Sorensen
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Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images

The Washington Capitals rallied to beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-5 (OT) Tuesday night at Verizon Center. The win raised the Capitals record to 23-9-5. The Caps next host the first place Columbus Blue Jackets Thursday night at Verizon Center. Puck-drop is 7:00 PM. 

leafs-at-caps-maple-leafs-at-capitalsBraden Holtby got the start in goal for the Capitals. Frederik Andersen started for the Maple Leafs.

Taylor Chorney got his second consecutive start. Chorney notched the game winning goal in the previous game against the Senators. Nate Schmidt was the healthy scratch.

The Capitals were riding a two-game win streak entering the game. The Maple Leafs were on a five-game winning streak coming in.

QUICK NOTES

  • The Capitals power play drought came to an end, 1:14 into the opening frame.
  • The Capitals penalty kill, which stopped 29 consecutive power plays, gave up two power play goals in the game.
  • Justin Williams continues his strong play with a goal and two assists in this one.
  • The Capitals defense was outmaneuvered on a number of occasions, as speed and quick puck movement was too much at times for the Caps.
  • Philipp Grubauer replaced Braden Holtby at the start of the second period.
  • Evgeny Kuznetsov would score in the third period, his first goal in 17 games. Kuznetsov had four points in the game.
  • John Carlson had a good game late, with the game tying goal and the primary assist on the game winning goal.

FIRST PERIOD
The Capitals drew a penalty on their first shift, just 33 seconds into the game. Justin Williams would cash in by deflecting a bomb by Dmitry Orlov from the right dot, giving the Caps a 1-0 lead at the 1:14 mark of the opening frame.

The Caps led 5-0 in shots on goal after the first five minutes of play. Brett Connolly was called for hooking at 5:27, giving the Maple Leafs their first power play of the game. The Leafs would make good use of the man advantage, as Nazim Kadri would jam one home from close range at 6:39 of the first period.

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Connor Brown would give the Leafs a 2-1 lead on a wicked wrister from the right dot at 11:44 of the first period. This was their 4th shot of the game.

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TJ Oshie would tie the game on a close-range shot from the right side at 16:00 of the first period.

The Maple Leafs would regain the lead at 18:06 of the opening frame on a goal by Frederik Gauthier.

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The period would end with the Maple Leafs leading 3-2. The Caps led in shots on goal 11-8.

SECOND PERIOD
The Caps and Leafs would battle for most of the period without a tally until the Maple Leafs lit the lamp at 13:33. Leo Komarov notched a power play goal on the end of a fantastic feed from rookie-sensation Auston Matthews.

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The period would end with the Leafs leading 4-2. The Leafs led in shots on goal 11-7 for the middle frame, and led 19-18 through the first two periods.

THIRD PERIOD
Evgeny Kuznetsov would close the gap to 4-3 early on the end of a strong feed from Marcus Johansson at 2:20 of the final frame.

Dmitry Orlov would tie the game a few moments later on the end of a beautiful feed from Matt Niskanen at 3:39 of the third period.

The Leafs would take the lead back on a goal by Mitch Marner at 11:08 of the final frame.

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John Carlson would tie the game 5-5 at the 13:55 mark of the final frame with a gritty rebound goal.

Regulation would end with the game tied 5-5. The Capitals outshot the Maple Leafs 10-6 for the third period, and 28-25 through three periods of play.

OVERTIME
The Capitals would win it on a goal by Alex Ovechkin.

 

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By Jon Sorensen

SCENES FROM VERIZON CENTER

About Jon Sorensen

Jon has been a Caps fan since day one, attending his first game at the Capital Centre in 1974. His interest in the Caps has grown over the decades and included time as a season ticket holder. He has been a journalist covering the team for 10+ years, primarily focusing on analysis, analytics and prospect development.
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2 Responses to Capitals Rally to Burn Leafs, 6-5

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