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Game Preview: Toronto Maple Leafs vs Washington Capitals - Key Players to Watch
The Toronto Maple Leafs will host Alex Ovechkin and the surging Washington Capitals at Scotiabank Arena on Thursday night. After dropping their last two contests, this is a must-win situation for a banged-up Maple Leafs squad clinging to a favorable playoff spot with the Tampa Bay Lightning nipping at their heels.
Meanwhile, the Capitals are 6-1-0 in their last seven games, climbing back into a wildcard spot after spending most of the season below the playoff cut-off line.
After sleepwalking through the first half of the season, Ovechkin is heating up, with 18 goals and 29 points in the past 25 outings, singlehandedly leading the Capitals into the playoffs.
Auston Matthews vs. Alex Ovechkin showdown for Maple Leafs-Capitals game
Auston Matthews has been the front-runner for the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy for a few months now, leading the NHL in goals with 59 goals. His career high is 60, set in 2021-22, and he is just one more lamplighter away from tying that milestone.
Considering that Toronto has 11 games left, including the contest against the Capitals, Matthews will almost certainly surpass that total. In 2023-24, he's netted seven points with three goals and four assists in two matchups against the Capitals and could have another breakout night.
Meanwhile, Ovechkin finished 2023 with just seven goals through the first 34 games, and many in the hockey community wondered if his chase of Wayne Gretzky's record 894 goals was over. However, since the start of the new year, he's almost tripled those seven goals with 19 tallies in the past 34 contests.
Surprisingly, Ovechkin has collected three goals in the two games against the Maple Leafs, and considering he's got eight in the past six matchups, he has the skillset to rise to the occasion, especially in Canada's most prominent hockey market.
Goalie Showdown: Joseph Woll vs. Charlie Lindgren
Rookie Joseph Woll has struggled since returning from an injury on Feb. 29. He has a 2-4-0 record with a .884 save percentage (SV%) and a 3.33 goals-against average (GAA), including consecutive losses to the Carolina Hurricanes and New Jersey Devils.
Because the Maple Leafs' go-to guy, Ilya Samsonov, is out with an injury, Woll should get most of the upcoming starts to prepare for the playoffs, where he could see some action. Despite his recent setbacks, he's undefeated against the Capitals at 2-0-0, but his numbers are ugly: .854 SV% and 6.00 GAA.
Charlie Lindgren, the Captals' unsung hero of the 2023-24 campaign, is between the pipes. He has an impressive 21-12-5 record, plus a 2.68 GAA and .912 SV%. Moreover, he's 9-3-0 in March with an even better 2.16 GAA and .921 SV%.
So far this season, Lindgren has played once against the Maple Leafs, surrendering seven goals in a 7-3 loss on Mar. 20. This is his only defeat in the past seven games.
Secondary stars: William Nylander vs. Dylan Strome
William Nylander has led the Maple Leafs in scoring all season and is approaching 100 points for the first time, sitting at 94 points. In two outings against Washington, he's had four points: two goals and two assists.
He's been on a tear recently, with 10 points in seven games, with a goal in all but one of those contests. After tying his career-high with 40 goals, his next goal will be a new personal best, and with 11 matchups left, he's got an outside chance of becoming the second Swedish player ever to score 50 goals.
Despite all the talk about Ovechkin's second-half resurgence, Dylan Strome is leading the Capitals in scoring with 60 points. In the past five games, he's scored nine points with six helpers and is plus-two. However, Strome only has a single assist in two outings against Toronto.
If Washington wants to maintain its slim two-point lead in the wildcard race, it needs Ovechkin and Strome to continue their recent streaks to keep the momentum going.
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