The Leafs in the Loffs. Just breathe normal, fellas. Here’s the rollercoaster story of game one.
Things started, naturally, awful. Mitch Marner got the best of some faulty Caps play to put the Leafs ahead. They extended that lead with Jake Gardiner’s point shot with traffic up front by Nazem Kadri.
The Caps struck back in the second with two goals by Mister Game Whatever Game He’s In, Justin Williams. First was a power-play marker assisted by TJ Oshie, then a feisty pounce upon a loose rebound under Freddy Andersen.
With the score tied we entered overtime, in which Tom Wilson unleashed the best shot of his entire season.
Caps beat Leafs 3-2 in overtime! Caps lead the series 1-0!
- So that first period was about as bad as the Caps playoffs could start. The Leafs had their run of the ice, whereas the Caps couldn’t make a clean pass or put a shot towards the net. It was a complete mess, but it didn’t last.
- The Leafs continued to play just like we’d expect: dynamic and fast, but the Caps put the details together. Cleaner breakouts, sharper passes, and fewer forehead-slapping whiffs gave Washington a respectable comeback on the scoreboard and shot metrics. By the time we got late into the third period, the Caps looked like the same team we’ve been watching for 82 games already.
- Underneath the Leafs’ hot start, but not the cause of it, was some undisciplined play for which Toronto didn’t really get punished except for a 90-second 5-on-3 in the first period. I think the refs’ reluctance to blow the whistle sets a precedent that the Caps should make note of. Discipline will be crucial.
- Can you believe that Mitch Marner is the first teenager to score a playoff goal for the Toronto Maple Leafs since the late devonian period? Just a fun fact I looked up just now.
Mitch Marner is the first Maple Leafs teenager to score a postseason goal since Daniel Marois (1988 vs the Red Wings). pic.twitter.com/SnnKVUPvCg
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) April 13, 2017
- Strong but imperfect performances by both goalies. Braden Holtby was fed to the wolves in the first and made a bad guess on Gardiner’s shot, but Freddy Anderson just completely lost track of Matt Niskanen’s shot before Williams’ second goals. But we got a bevy of flashy glove saves and crease-clearing anger from each netminder.
- Aside from Carlzner against Auston Matthews, Barry Trotz’s matchups were fine. Evgeny Kuznetsov’s line saw Matthews the most and they had the better of him. That’s a good sign for the rest of this series.
- The Lars Eller line made two goofs in the first period, and that cost them ice time. First was the Marner goal, which, I dunno who’s to blame there actually, and then was Eller’s dumb-dumb decision to cross-check someone lying on the ice infinity times 180 feet from his own net. They were still great, but a few more shifts for those guys would be nice.
- Justin Williams is 35 years old and has scored his 34th and 35th playoff goals. Williams was poised and implacable from the opening puck drop — he, Kuznetsov, and Johansson were maybe the only ones you can say that about. Add to that his near-fight with actual infant Connor Carrick and Williams was definitely the most fun player to watch.
- Tom Wilson‘s solo work in overtime to cement the comeback is the stuff of legend. That shot is not in his wheelhouse, but it found the back of the net anyway. Right on, you beaut.
Joe B suit of the night
That was a nuts game. We got another one coming on Saturday. The loffs are back, the Caps won, and I feel alive!
Full Coverage of Caps vs Maple Leafs
Headline photo: Dan Steinberg
