Leafs in charge after OT victory
Capitals have Presidents’ Trophy, but Toronto’s young guns have series lead
There is a narrative out there — a very lazy one, mind you — that Alex Ovechkin cannot handle pressure, that when the stage is the biggest, the lights are the brightest and the stakes are the highest, he chokes.
That narrative would put to you that he’s not Crosby or Toews or even Justin Williams — that for all the goals he scores in the regular season, he just can’t win.
It’s why, according to his fiercest critics, Ovechkin hasn’t hoisted the Stanley Cup or captured an Olympic gold medal.
And it’s why some believed the Washington Capitals, who have yet to advance past the second round since drafting the Russian sniper first overall in 2004, would crumble against the eighth-seeded Toronto Maple Leafs.
Lazy or not, the narrative is being written again this post-season after the Capitals lost 4-3 in overtime to the Leafs in Game 3 thanks to Tyler Bozak’s perfect tip-in goal on the power play on Monday night.
Auston Matthews also had a goal and an assist for the Leafs while William Nylander and Nazem Kadri (two points) also found the back of the net for Toronto. Frederik Andersen made 23 saves.
“Until we change the narrative, that’s going to be the question,” Capitals defenceman Matt Niskanen said of the team’s history of choking. “So it’s going to be up to us to change the question.”
It’s not necessarily Ovechkin’s fault that Washington is now down 2-1 in the best-of-seven series to the Leafs, or that Capitals once again lost in overtime. He wasn’t on the ice when Tyler Bozak redirected a Nazem Kadri pass for the game-winner. He wasn’t to blame.
For most of the game, Ovechkin did his part. On the second shot of the first period, he set up in his familiar spot at the top of the faceoff circle and one-timed a pass from Nicklas Backstrom that seemed to burn a hold through Leafs goaltender Frederik Andersen’s glove.
It was his second goal of the series. It was also his 84th point in 87 games. The reason Washington is trailing in this series is that Ovechkin was unable to pick up his 85th point.
“Great players like great stages,” Capitals head coach Barry Trotz said. “I think those players just elevate. You look at his record in the playoffs — his point production in the playoffs can be matched up there against anybody. It’s the stage. He’s one of those players that likes the stage.”
Three games in, not enough of his teammates seem to share that sentiment.
This was a game that Washington let slip through its fingers. After goals from Backstrom and Ovechkin, the Capitals stormed out to a 2-0 lead in the opening five minutes. With the score 3-1 in the second, they had a 5-on-3 power play that could have ended things right there.
Instead, the Capitals let the Leafs claw back.
“Just forget it and move forward,” said Ovechkin. “Obviously, we’re losing the series but it’s not over yet. We should win this game, but we made a couple of mistakes with a couple of unlucky bounces. But that’s the game. You move forward.
“The series goes to four wins. It’s not going to be easy. It’s a huge test for us.”
It’s a huge test for Ovechkin. Fair or not, he’s wearing a label that Joe Thornton wore before him. For him to shed it, he will need help from his supporting cast that has abandoned him in the past.
Last year, Evgeny Kuznetsov went missing in action with just one goal and one assist in 12 playoff games. The year before, Backstrom had no goals and two assists in a seven-game loss to the New York Rangers in the conference semifinal.
Both Backstrom and Kuznetsov scored in Game 3, but for most of the game the best players on the ice were wearing blue and white. If it continues, it won’t matter what Ovechkin does.
“Nobody said it was going to be easy to go to the second round,” Ovechkin said. “It’s the playoffs. Everybody understands that every mistake can (cost) you games. For them, it’s a good experience to play those kind of games in the playoffs.
“They’ve played well, obviously. We respect them. It’s a battle.”
For the most part, Ovechkin has been willing to battle. He scored a power-play goal in Game 2 and had a chance to win that game on a breakaway in overtime.
But he saved his best effort for Game 3. Ovechkin was a beast. He gave Washington a 2-0 lead in the opening five minutes, finished the game with five shots and four hits, and was a handful to cover, as Kadri found out when Ovechkin effortlessly tossed the Leafs centre to the ice to avoid a check.
“He’s the best scoring forward in the game today,” Leafs defenceman Connor Carrick said of Ovechkin. “He’s still someone that draws a lot of attention. He’s a dominant man.”
Maybe so, but that’s not the narrative being written after Game 3.