Capitals 5, Maple Leafs 3
The Maple Leafs could do no right, the Capitals could do no wrong. 16 days off seemed to help the Caps gain focus, and a few lucky bounces doesn’t hurt either. After a review of the Alex Ovechkin’s goal where the puck hit his skate and into the wide open net.
The Caps had time to heal and work out some bugs, even rumored to practice during the Olympic break with out coaches and trainers. Even while Olaf Kolzig and Ivan Majesky took the Toronto game off, Ovechkin was back in the swing of things albeit a bit tired.
Matt Pettinger has a huge night with two goals, one shorthanded. Darcy Tucker saw something that made his blood boil a little bit, “It's disappointing because you sit there at the end of the game and the other team is looking over at you and laughing," Tucker told reporters. "It's not a fun thing, that's for sure.”
Tucker must have thin skin or may be steaming after Brent Johnson robbed him of a goal in the second with a fantastic glove save. Either way the whole night seemed to be a disaster for the Maple Leafs as they were booed off their own ice. The Caps just seemed to have Toronto’s number. It proves again the Capitals ability to play to the level of their competitor. A work on consistency is the biggest lesson this team must learn.
Overall Grade: A
Trade Watch
With some injured players returning from Torino, many teams will look for healthy defensemen. Brendan Witt’s stock is about to rise. Apparently he has been ready for a trade for a while renting his car and apartment. I guess that makes it easier to slip away in the night.
Another Capital that may not stick around until the end of the season may be Jeff Friesen. It should be an interesting next week to see who the Caps sell and what they receive.
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