With the schedule winding down and every game becoming a must-win, the Toronto Maple Leafs have lost even more ground in the Eastern Conference playoff picture, falling 2-0 to the Washington Capitals while falling even further back of the eighth and final post-season spot.
Toronto’s shutout loss is their second in a row after suffering a 1-0 shootout defeat at the hands of the Philadelphia Flyers just one night ago. With two shutout losses in two days, this weekend marks just the third time in franchise history that the Leafs have been shutout on consecutive days according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The two other occassions were Oct. 23-24, 1965 and Jan. 24-25, 2003.
Making the post-season becomes an even harder proposition for the Maple Leafs. Their loss on Sunday puts them eight points back of the Capitals for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with only 13 games remaining on the schedule.
Eastern Conference Standings
8. Washington Capitals – 13GR, 76PTS
———————————————–
9. Winnipeg Jets – 13GR, 72PTS
10. Buffalo Sabres – 13GR, 72PTS
11. Tampa Bay Lightning – 12GR, 69PTS
12. Toronto Maple Leafs – 13GR, 68PTS
13. Carolina Hurricanes – 13GR, 67PTS
The first goal of the game was a shorthanded marker by Brooks Laich at the 10:07 mark of the first period. With the Leafs on a power play opportunity, rookie defenceman Jake Gardiner coughed up the puck at centre ice to Laich, who went in and scored on Jonas Gustavsson for his 14th goal this season. Laich’s opening salvo was his first shorthanded goal of the season and the fourth shorthanded goal the Leafs had given up this season.
Washington maintained their slim 1-0 lead after two periods with the shots even at 16 apiece after 40 minutes of play. That was troubling news for the visiting Leafs because the Capitals were a perfect 20-0-0 when leading after two periods this season.
Early in the third period, the Caps extended their lead to 2-0 when Mathieu Perreault buried a rebound from the side of the net just 42 seconds into the final frame. Perreault’s goal was his 12th of the season and first in eight games. Credited with the assists on the play were Alex Semin for his 26th of the year, and Kitchener, Ontario native Dennis Wideman for his 33rd helper this season.
After being shutout in two consecutive games, Toronto has gone 158 minutes and 24 seconds without scoring a goal. That dates back to the last Leaf goal scored by Carl Gunnarsson in the second period of Wednesday’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Toronto has now lost four in a row and ten of their last eleven games. Gustavsson allowed two goals on 23 shots for his third-straight loss while dropping his record to 17-16-3 on the season.
The goaltender at the other end of the ice was better however, as Michal Neuvirth stopped all 23 shots he saw to earn his third shutout of the season and hand Washington their third consecutive victory. Neuvirth was named first star in the win, improving his record to 4-1-1 over his career against Toronto.
The Leafs are back in action on Tuesday when they travel to the Sunshine State to take on the Florida Panthers.
Leafs vs. Capitals Stats Recap
Shots
TOR: 23
WAS: 23
Shot Leaders
TOR: Ashton, Kessel, MacArthur and Phaneuf tied (3)
WAS: Matt Hendricks (4)
Power Play
TOR: 0/1
WAS: 0/1
Blocked Shots
TOR: 14
WAS: 21
Blocked Shot Leaders
TOR: Gunnarsson and Liles tied (3)
WAS: Dennis Wideman (4)
Hits
TOR: 29
WAS: 26
Hits Leaders
TOR: Dion Phaneuf (6)
WAS: Dennis Wideman (4)
Face-Offs
TOR: 24/39 (62%)
WAS: 15/39 (38%)
Face-Off Leaders – Min. 10 opportunities
TOR: David Steckel – 8/10 (80%)
WAS: Brooks Laich – 4/14 (29%)
Time on Ice Leaders
TOR: John-Michael Liles (25:23)
WAS: Dennis Wideman (25:43)
Three Stars
1) Michal Neuvirth – WAS (23 Saves, SO)
2) Brooks Laich – WAS (1G, 0A)
3) Mathieu Perreault – WAS (1G, 0A)
For highlights of the Caps' shutout victory over the Leafs, check out
Leafs Nation Network.
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