Washington 4, Toronto 0
When: 7:00 PM ET, Sunday, March 1, 2015
Where: Verizon Center, Washington, District Of Columbia
Referees:
Graham Skilliter, Brian Pochmara
Linesmen:
Tony Sericolo, Scott Driscoll
Attendance:
18506
By SportsDirect Inc.
Capitals 4, Maple Leafs 0: Captain Alex Ovechkin registered his 11th two-goal performance of the season and added an assist while Braden Holtby posted his 18th career shutout as Washington dealt Toronto its 16th consecutive road loss.
Marcus Johansson added a power-play tally for the Capitals, who halted their three-game skid and remained three points behind Pittsburgh for third place in the Metropolitan Division. Joel Ward scored an empty-net goal and Holtby made 32 saves in his league-leading 55th start for his seventh blanking of the campaign as Washington improved to 9-1-1 in its last 11 home meetings with the Maple Leafs.
James Reimer turned aside 28 shots for Toronto, which fell to 0-14-2 since its last road victory - a shootout triumph on Dec. 31 at Boston. The Maple Leafs were held to fewer than two goals for the 13th time during their road slide as they were shut out for the eighth time this season - and second in as many nights.
Ovechkin gave Holtby all the offensive support he needed just 33 seconds into the contest with a shot from the left faceoff circle that beat Reimer between the pads. The Russian superstar doubled the lead - and increased his league-leading goal total to 41 - when he backhanded the rebound of defenseman Brooks Orpik's one-timer from the right point past the netminder from the bottom of the slot 5 1/2 minutes into the middle period.
Ovechkin played a role in Washington's third goal as he one-timed a shot from the left circle that Reimer stopped. Troy Brouwer grabbed the rebound on the left side and backhanded a cross-crease pass to Johansson, who tapped it in at 9:14 of the third.
GAME NOTEBOOK: The multi-goal effort was the 96th of Ovechkin's impressive career. ... Capitals C Nicklas Backstrom recorded an assist as he and Ovechkin pulled even with Philadelphia's Jakub Voracek and John Tavares of the New York Islanders for the NHL scoring lead with 65 points. ... D Tim Gleason made his debut for the Capitals, registering one shot and blocking another in 18:34 of ice time one day after being acquired from Carolina. ... Washington added a veteran forward Sunday, acquiring LW Curtis Glencross from Calgary for its second- and third-round picks in this year's draft. The 32-year-old recorded nine goals and 19 assists in 53 games with the Flames this season.
Top Game Performances
Toronto |
|
Washington |
N/A |
Points |
Alex Ovechkin 3 |
N/A |
Goals |
Alex Ovechkin 2 |
N/A |
Assists |
Alex Ovechkin 1 |
N/A |
Power Play Goals |
Marcus Johansson 1 |
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
James Reimer .903 |
Save Percentage |
Braden Holtby 1.000 |
James Reimer 28 |
Saves |
Braden Holtby 32 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
Toronto
|
32 |
0 |
0-4 |
1-2 |
8 |
32 |
Washington
|
32 |
4 |
1-2 |
4-4 |
12 |
31 |
Upcoming Games
-
Washington will play their next game on the road against Columbus. The Capitals have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .567 after a loss.
-
Toronto will play their next game on the road against Florida. The Maple Leafs have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .324 after a loss.