Washington Capitals vs. Toronto Maple Leafs: Game 3 Preview

The Washington Capitals are heading north after a 4-3 overtime loss to Toronto in Game 2.

The Washington Capitals walked back to their locker room with a seed of doubt in their heads after Toronto’s Kasperi Kapanen scored in double overtime to beat the Capitals 4-3, and tie the series 1-1 . The young Maple Leafs had strong starts in both games. Their speed and team energy has become a proven matchup problem for the Capitals.

The Capitals overall effort was much stronger in Game 2, but the Leafs’ resiliency kept them in it. The Maple Leafs have the momentum heading home in a tied series. The Capitals were a strong road team this season, but Air Canada Centre and Toronto-faithful will be deafening, and extremely enthusiastic. If the Capitals want to avoid the pressure of being down 2-1 in the series to the last wild-card team in the Eastern Conference, there are a few adjustments they have to make.

Capitals need to tighten up their defense

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Braden Holtby has been under siege by Toronto’s young guns. He has stopped 82-88 shots that have come his way in two games, which were both decided in overtime. 88 shots in two games, an average of 44 per game, is not going to cut it if the Capitals want to go the distance. Braden Holtby does not deserve to be hung out to dry.

The Capitals were the top defensive team in the NHL this season, and HC Barry Trotz’s defensive structure is what wins games for the Capitals. If the Capitals can do a better job of limiting the Leafs’ speed and transition offense, they will do better in the shots-against (SA) category. If the Capitals couple that with a better 5on5 performance, their chances of winning Game 3 are much better.

Secondary scoring must make an appearance

In past playoff appearances, the Capitals relied heavily on Alex Ovechkin for a lot of their scoring. This season, goal scoring was more spread out. General Manager Brian MacLellan brought in players like T.J. Oshie, Lars Eller, and Brett Connolly to fill their secondary scoring void. Alex Ovechkin and T.J. Oshie both had 33 goals to finish the season. Five other Capitals finished with at least 19 goals on the year.

There is no shortage of goal scoring on this team, but it has not shown up in two games against Toronto at home. Players like Lars Eller and Brett Connolly were brought in prior to this season to provide secondary scoring. They know their role with the team. In Game 3, the Capitals need goals from players not named Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, or Justin Williams. When all four lines are confidently scoring and completely in tune, this offense is explosive, and hard for a depleted Leafs defense to stop.

Score the first goal

Mitch Marner scored his first Stanley Cup Playoff goal 1:30 into Game 1. The Leafs would go up 2-0 before the Capitals mounted their comeback. In game 2, James van Riemsdyk found the back of the net first. In the playoffs, scoring the first goal is huge. Getting on the board first is imperative, but there are other factors. Scoring the first goal in each game gave the Maple Leafs confidence that they can play with the top-seeded Capitals. It is enough of a momentum boost in the playoffs to carry you to a very strong start.

The Capitals were fortunate to have Justin Williams and Tom Wilson’s heroics in Game 1 after going down 2-0. After giving up the first goal in Game 2, then later losing in double overtime, that first goal became much more important. The Capitals will be on the road for the first time this postseason on Monday night. Air Canada Centre in Toronto will be a mad-house as this is the Leafs first postseason appearance since the 2013-14 season. If the Capitals are able to score first, and do it quickly, it will take Toronto’s ecstatic energy out of the arena.

The momentum is on Toronto’s side right now, but the Capitals are looking to take it back quickly. There’s no better way to do that than by displaying a dominant performance in Game 3.

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