Capitals administer reality check
Leafs get harsh lesson as Washington shrugs off being undermanned on blue line
This was a night where close wasn’t good enough.
Not against the Washington Capitals.
With a chance to clinch a playoff berth, the Leafs couldn’t muster much offence against a powerhouse Capitals team that taught them a lesson about elite level hockey in a 4-1 win at the Air Canada Centre.
Tyler Bozak — with a point-blank chance during a second-period power play — accounted for the Leafs’ solitary solid chance to get back into a game where the Capitals dominated puck possession and physical play.
They wouldn’t generate another until there were just 68 seconds left in the game. Mitch Marner scored on the power play for his 19th goal of the season, but that was as good as it would get for Toronto.
“To me, it was a one-sided game, they were better start to finish ... maybe eight minutes there in the second period, we had a push, but other than that, they were stronger, faster. . . better,” Leafs coach Mike Babcock said, summing up a flat outing for the Leafs, who entered the game with 11 wins in its previous 14 games.
That wasn’t the script the Leafs, and Leafs faithful, were anticipating. This was a potential playoff clincher night, a special moment in the waiting. But the Capitals, with a bigger, more physical, and more experienced roster, set the tone all night.
And that tone was good, hard, heavy hockey — the kind that Leafs coach Mike Babcock preaches — and it was very effective against a Leafs team that won in Buffalo on Monday.
While back-to-back games were no excuse for the Leafs, they certainly looked unable to answer the Capitals’ level of intensity and skating.
“Obviously, we know what the schedule is, and it is what it is,” defenceman Connor Carrick said, referring to the fact the Leafs finish out the season — and fight for a playoff berth — with five games in seven nights.
“There’s no excuses ... for us, there’s always more difficult parts of the schedule, that’s what you are paid for, that’s why you are on the payroll, to be a pro, and maybe we didn’t manage that the way we wanted to tonight.”
Toronto also saw super rookie Auston Matthews’ goal-scoring streak snapped at five games. William Nylander was pointless for just the second time in 14 games.
Centre Brian Boyle also left after the first period with what the Leafs said was an upper body injury.
“He’ll be re-evaluated (Wednesday) . . . upper body,” Babcock said.
But the Capitals were also under- manned. Following the pre-game warm-ups, defenceman John Carlson was a late scratch. That left the Capitals to summon Nate Schmidt to pick up the slack. Matt Niskanen was also double-shifted at times.
With the win, Washington captured its third Presidents’ Trophy, which is bestowed upon the team with the top regular-season record in the NHL.
Toronto had a pair of power plays in the second, but their second-ranked power play was slightly out of sync. There were chances, and some decent puck movement, but there was also a penalty (Marner) that negated the final 21 seconds of one power play. It was that kind of night. “We have the day off (Wednesday), so just regroup after this one and be ready to go Thursday,” said winger James van Riemsdyk, referring to Thursday’s game against Tampa, which will clinch the Leafs a postseason berth if they win in regulation.