Williams scores OT winner in Game 5; Leafs on verge of elimination
The Toronto Maple Leafs gave the Presidents’ Trophy-winners another scare, but head home on the verge of elimination.
Justin Williams beat Frederik Andersen five-hole 1:04 into overtime as the Washington Capitals snatched Game 5 on Friday 2-1. They now lead the best-of-seven series 3-2 with a chance to eliminate the Leafs in Game 6 at the Air Canada Centre on Sunday night.
Four of the five games between the two teams have been decided in overtime.
Auston Matthews scored his third goal of the playoffs in defeat for Toronto and Andersen made 26 saves.
T.J. Oshie also found the back of the net for Washington and Holtby stopped 24-of-25 shots.
The Leafs were coming off what they believed to be their least competitive game of the series, a 5-4 loss at home in Game 4 in which they were bullied for two periods by a hungry Capitals squad.
They managed a better effort in Game 5.
A low-chance, but fast-paced opening frame in Game 5 was rocked with about two and a half minutes left when Alex Ovechkin was hit by Nazem Kadri. The Leafs centre went low to deliver an apparent hipcheck at the Washington blue line, but ended up striking the left knee of the Washington captain.
Ovechkin briefly tried to get up but remained down on the ice in obvious discomfort. His teammates furiously pursued Kadri, who couldn’t seem to believe that he was being assessed a tripping penalty.
“How is that a penalty?’’ Kadri appeared to say to officials.
Ovechkin eventually had to be helped off the ice and he put no pressure on his left leg while doing so. The Verizon Center crowd, many clad in red Ovechkin jerseys, howled at the foul — which appeared to better meet the criteria for clipping as an “act of throwing the body... across or below the knees of an opponent.’’
The Caps, who had a goal waved off earlier in the period, didn’t miss with the power-play opportunity. Nicklas Backstrom fired a shot from the point that struck the crossbar, but Oshie stuffed in the rebound for the 1-0 lead. It was the third goal of the series for the American winger and fifth power-play goal for Washington.