The Toronto Maple Leafs rallied from a two-goal deficit to win 4-3 in Game 3 of their first round series against the Washington Capitals, as Tyler Bozak scored the game winner on the power play at 1:37 of overtime.
The victory has Toronto up 2-1 in the best-of-seven series and has the hockey world wondering whether a team loaded with rookies that clinched a playoff spot on the final weekend of the regular season can actually beat the two-time President’s Trophy winners.
The Leafs have risen to the occasion in the first three games, showed an unexpected level of composure and taken advantage of their opportunities, while Washington’s experienced squad has come up short and appear to be feeling the pressure.
The Caps dominated the opening 20 minutes with some ferocious forechecking and overpowered the Leafs depleted defense, bolting out to a 2-0 lead on goals by Niklas Backstrom and Alex Ovechkin.
The Leafs did not have an answer for Washington’s top line of TJ Oshie, Backstrom and Ovechkin, but sparked by a pair of Nazem Kadri hits on Brooks Orpik, Toronto narrowed the lead to 2-1 on Auston Matthews first career playoff goal.
Washington appeared to have the game well in hand after Evgeni Kuznetsov made it 3-1 early in the second, and had a golden opportunity to ice the game with a full two-minute five-on-three power play, but could not convert.
“It's a big moment in the game – the game is over if they score.” Leafs coach Mike Babcock said after the game. “That was a huge kill for us. Then, of course, we take another penalty – we had lots of energy tonight, let's just say that.”
Puzzlingly the Caps abandoned their pressure game as the game moved forward and allowed Toronto to carry the play. Nazem Kadri and William Nylander tied the game before the end of the second and the Leafs dominated in the third, as Washington went without a shot for more than 13 minutes and survived two Toronto power plays before Bozak’s game winner early in OT.
“I thought we had confidence in Game 1 because we showed we could play. Game 2 was a big confidence builder for us. Obviously, now, if you talk to our guys, our guys think they're a good hockey team. When you're playing a good hockey team I think you gain respect for yourself and the process and you start believing that maybe you can do this.” Babcock said. “We've got to get regrouped tomorrow; we'll get back on track and get ready for a big game.”
It is unknown how the Capitals will respond to the unexpected challenge, but there is a sense that the ‘pucker factor’ that Babcock referenced has already begun to take effect, if you saw Scott Oake’s second intermission interview with TJ Oshie.
Caps head coach Barry Trotz for the most part has rolled his forward lines and defensive pairings, likely to not overwork his star players for what is expected to be a long playoff run. In Game 3, Ovechkin saw just 15:08 of ice time and Trotz indicated on Tuesday that he plans on playing him more in Game 4.
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Babcock confirmed on Tuesday that defenseman Roman Polak will have surgery to repair the leg injury suffered in Game 2 and will be out for the rest of the playoffs.
The 30-year-old Polak is an unrestricted free agent this summer, but based on how much the Leafs depended on him and veteran Matt Hunwick down the stretch, it is likely that he will be offered a new contract before July 1.
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The Toronto Marlies begin the first round of the Calder Cup Playoffs in Albany on Thursday.
The Marlies finished in second place in the AHL North Division and have home-ice advantage in the series, but will play the first two games in Albany before returning to Toronto for Game 3 on Wednesday, April 26.
The club released their playoff roster on Tuesday with two additions from the Swedish Hockey League. 2014 seventh round pick Pierre Engvall and 2015 fourth rounder Jesper Lindgren both signed amateur tryout contracts last week, which could be a precursor to them being signed to entry-level contracts.
Engvall, 20, scored 21 goals and 19 assists for second-tier Mora IK in 50 games this season. Lindgren, 19, scored three goals and 21 assists in 50 games for MODO.
Leafs forwards Kasperi Kapanen and Nikita Soshnikov are eligible to return to the AHL affiliate after the Leafs season
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Listen to the latest edition of the Blue N' White Tonight Podcast, as we discuss the first two games of the Leafs - Capitals series.
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