Tip of the Tower
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Toronto Maple Leafs Run Out of Gas, Lose 4-1 to Potent Washington Capitals

By Chris Okrainetz

Apr 4, 2017; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews (34) and head coach Mike Babcock and forward James van Riemsdyk (25) on the bench during a game against the Washington Capitals at the Air Canada Centre. Washington defeated Toronto 4-1. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 4, 2017; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews (34) and head coach Mike Babcock and forward James van Riemsdyk (25) on the bench during a game against the Washington Capitals at the Air Canada Centre. Washington defeated Toronto 4-1. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports /
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Playing on consecutive nights for the 17th time this season, the Toronto Maple Leafs (39-25-15) looked exhausted and were dominated by the Washington Capitals (53-18-8).

Thoughts and Observations

  • You could tell the Toronto Maple Leafs were playing the second game of a back-to-back on Tuesday night. They made errors, they were outworked in the neutral zone, they lost puck battles; bottom line, they look exhausted. Not to discredit the Washington Capitals, who once again showed why they are the class of the Eastern Conference, at least in the regular season, but this was not the usual Leafs team we’ve become accustomed to watching.

    • The Capitals set the tempo early and they never looked back.

    Alex Ovechkin

    was flying during the first 20 minutes and he really set the tone physically when he bulldozed

    Connor Brown

    behind the Caps’ net late in the period.

  • It’s no secret the Capitals’ power play is fantastic, but I don’t think Nicklas Backstrom gets enough credit for what he does on this unit. He might not be the straw that stirs the drink (I think that’s Ovechkin given his style of play), but he’s certainly the main ingredient to this potent attack. The work he does along the half board to create space is magnificent and his ability to consistently find the open man is top-notch.

    • We witnessed everything great about the Capitals’ PP when

    Kevin Shattenkirk

    scored midway through the second period. It was a clinic on how to move the puck with the man-advantage and perhaps a glimpse into what fans can expect to see from the Capitals during the postseason.

    Brian Boyle

    was not on the Leafs bench midway through the second period and we ended up seeing

    Tyler Bozak

    and

    Auston Matthews

    play between

    Matt Martin

    and

    Kasperi Kapanen

    . Toronto provided an update on Boyle midway through the game when they sent out this ominous tweet saying the 32-year-old centre suffered an upper-body injury.

    Can we give

    Jake Gardiner

    an assist for this giveaway? I mean, this thing was tailor-made for the Capitals. If you’re a fan of Gardiner look away.

    Tuesday’s loss at the Air Canada Centre was the first time the Leafs have suffered a regulation loss at home since February 18.

    If there was a lesson to learn from this game, and there were a few, the most important one might be that the Leafs should not want to play the Capitals in round one. Say what you like about Washington’s playoff history, but this team is loaded and extremely dangerous. On top of that, they’re a matchup nightmare for Toronto. So if the Leafs want any chance at making a playoff run, it’s probably in their best interest to finish second or third in the Atlantic Division and avoid playing the Capitals.

    Mike Babcock didn’t necessarily say the Leafs looking tired was acceptable, but he did sound understanding when discussing it during his post-game presser.

    Stat of the Night

    33-4-4

    More from Tip of the Tower

    The Capitals are a remarkable 33-4-4 when leading after 20 minutes of play. There power play has been excellent too, scoring on eight of their last 17 opportunities. These are just two components of what has made the Capitals successful and helped them compile a 9-1-1 record over their last 11 games.

    What’s Next

    The Maple Leafs will host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday night at the Air Canada Centre in what is a pivotal game for their playoff chances. Toronto is still in the driver’s seat when it comes to securing a playoff spot, and has a 98 percent chance of making the postseason, according to MoneyPuck.com, but the path to accomplishing this feat goes through Tampa. In fact, the Leafs can clinch a playoff berth with a victory over the Lightning on Thursday.

    As you can see in the chart above, where the Leafs will finish in the standings is still tough to project. However, we should receive some clarity on Thursday with the Senators and Bruins playing each other. The result of that game, plus the result of the Leafs game, will give us a pretty good indication of where the Leafs will finish in the standings.

    Next: Steady Freddie Leading Leafs to the Playoffs

    What did you think of the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-1 loss to the Washington Capitals on Tuesday night? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below

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