‘One-shot difference’ sinks Andersen in duel
Leafs silence Ovechkin but Williams and Wilson break through for Caps
WASHINGTON— Frederik Andersen was dialed in, going one-on-one with Capitals goalie Braden Holtby — the best in the NHL, to some.
But despite all the good things the Leafs netminder did — glove saves and stonewalling Alex Ovechkin — a couple got away. And that was the difference in Washington’s 3-2 overtime win Thursday night that gave the Capitals a 1-0 lead in their bestof-seven Stanley Cup playoff series. Game 2 goes here Saturday night.
Washington winger Tom Wilson, who grew up idolizing the Maple Leafs, scored with a wrist shot, beating Andersen clean on the short side at 5:15 of the extra period.
“He shot it quick,” said Andersen. “It was a fun game. Not the result we wanted, but we played good. We showed we could play with these guys. . . . We have to come back and play the same way, or better.”
On the game-tying goal in the second period, Andersen lost sight of the puck, leading to the second of Justin Williams’ pair. Andersen had made the initial save on a Matt Niskanen shot and the puck was under him in the crease, but he got up and Williams poked it home.
“I thought Freddie was really good, and then he’d probably like to have that back,” said Leafs coach Mike Babcock. “But he gave us an opportunity, so I don’t think you can argue with that.”
It was an intriguing matchup. The Capitals played just like their reputation suggests: partly the juggernaut they were in the regular season, partly the yip-prone club of playoffs past.
The Leafs also played to their reputation: with devil-may-care speed and the inability to hold a two-goal lead.
Despite blowing a two-goal advantage — they did so 10 times in the regular season — the team was looking at the bright side.
“We did a lot of good things. We had a great first period,” said Andersen. “It was just a one-shot difference.”
Andersen faced 44 shots, while Holtby — who won last year’s Vezina Trophy and this year’s Jennings — saw 37. With nine Maple Leafs making their Stanley Cup playoff debuts, a big question going into the night was how they would adapt to something they’d only ever seen on TV. The answer turned out to be: quite well.
Mitch Marner, in particular, seemed to raise his game and score the opening goal.
Auston Matthews was his usual dog-on-a-bone self, getting the puck and keeping it, but only won three of seven faceoffs.
William Nylander controlled the play at times and had four shots.
Morgan Rielly, a four-year vet making his playoff debut, drew the toughest assignments on the blue line.
“It was a lot of guys’ firsts,” said Marner. “We came out how we wanted to, and we played the game we wanted to. We have to start looking forward to the next game.”
Jake Gardiner made it 2-0 Leafs, the lead that Williams managed to erase on his own.
Marner — the first Leafs teenager to score a playoff goal since Daniel Marois in 1988 — said he noticed a difference in the tempo compared to the regular season: “It’s a lot tighter. There’s not a lot of space. You have to make plays. When you get a chance, you have to try to put them in.
Marner also became the first Leafs to score within the first two minutes of his first playoff game since Andy Blair in 1929, according to Elias Sports Bureau.