Toronto Maple Leafs face toughest test against Washington Capitals

Going up against the defending Stanley Cup Champions, the Toronto Maple Leafs get a chance to show that they are for real this season.

Five games into the season the Toronto Maple Leafs are forging their identity as one of the top offensive teams in the NHL and on Saturday night they’ll put it to the test against the Washington Capitals.

While they’ve had some tough matchups against the Chicago Blackhawks and the Dallas Stars, the defending Stanley Cup Champions will be the toughest test for the Leafs. Coming off an embarrassing 6-0 loss to the New Jersey Devils, the Capitals won’t allow themselves to be on the receiving end of another beatdown.

Where the Leafs have received the most praise is on the power play as they lead the NHL in power play goals with seven. They also have 25 goals to lead the league and have seven more than the Capitals who are tied for second with 18 so expect both teams to try and show off their firepower.

One thing Toronto won’t have to worry about is Tom Wilson who continues to serve his suspension but obviously, the defence will have its hands full with Alexander Ovechkin.

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This is the type of game the Leafs should embrace considering all the talk about them not being a good defensive team and needing to trade for a defenceman. A strong defensive game would go a long way but that might be asking for a lot.

It would be a big help if Frederik Andersen can replicate the effort he had against the Detroit Red Wings because Washington will be ruthless offensively and on the power play.

Andreas Johnsson gets back into the lineup after sitting the past couple of games as Tyler Ennis draws out, while Igor Ozhiganov swaps with Martin Marincin. If and when William Nylander returns, any player who hasn’t been performing consistently is going to find it tough to get playing time.

You can be sure Mike Babcock is stressing the importance of this game as a win against an elite team like Washington will go a long way in helping the Leafs build up their status as contenders.

What are you looking forward to against the Capitals? Can the Leafs get the win? Let us know in the comments below.