This is your place to check for updates and comment along with the Capitals vs. Maple Leafs game on October 12, 2022.
Welcome back, friends, for Game Two of the Capitals’ regular season schedule. Tonight pits Washington vs Toronto in the Maple Leafs’ Home Opener. Both teams are winless. Both teams might be a little cranky and tired.
What to look for? Both teams are coming off losses on Opening Night. Toronto lost 4-3 to the Canadiens last night while the Capitals fell 5-2 to the Boston Bruins on national television.
Former Capital Ilya Samsonov will start in net against his old mates after the Leafs gave Matt Murray the first start. Murray… didn’t do so hot. Murray gave up four goals on 27 shots and finished the night with a .826 save percentage. Charlie Lindgren will oppose Sammy in net.
Tonight’s matchup pits this generation’s best goal-scorers against each other: Alex Ovechkin and Auston Matthews. Both were held off the scoresheet last night so look for big efforts from each.
We’ll see if John Carlson can rebound from a tough start to the season. The Capitals’ defenseman was on the ice for four Bruins’ goals and his failure to backcheck or hustle on the Bruins’ fourth tally put the game out of reach for the Caps.
Watch along with us on NBC Sports Washington. Tonight marks the network’s season debut. This is Joe Beninati and Craig Laughlin’s 26th season together.
Pregame Links
- Last night’s Caps-Bruins highlights
- Darcy Kuemper wasn’t great last night. Neither was the Caps’ D.
- Wayne Gretzky has already accepted Alex Ovechkin is going to break his goals record
- Ovi? Not a coffee drinker.
- Me, if the Caps get shutout tonight
- Good luck to the Flyers on what looks like it’ll be a terrible season!
Lines
No changes. No Connor McMichael for a second straight night.
Lineys!#CapsLeafs | @JackDaniels_US pic.twitter.com/ApWIhUykHQ
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) October 13, 2022
1st Period
The Capitals started Sheary-Dowd-Hathaway and Orlov-Jensen. Charlie Lindgren has already made a couple of big stops already, including on Auston Matthews. The Capitals got the first power play. Ovi hit the crossbar on his first PP one-timer attempt on Samsonov. On the very next play, Mitch Marner went down the ice and had a shorthanded chance after a turnover in the defensive zone by John Carlson.
🚨 1-0 Maple Leafs: John Tavares scored on the power-play via a tap-in just outside the crease. The Capitals new-look, aggressive PK left several Leafs forwards behind them and Morgan Rielly eventually found Tavares wide open. (Video here.) Per SportsnetStats, the Leafs were 23-3-0 when they scored on the PP last year.
🚨 1-1: Nic Dowd tied it up after taking the penalty that led to the Leafs’ PPG. (GIF here.) Erik Gustafsson found Dowd with a great cross-ice pass.
🚨 2-1 Caps: Marcus Johansson beat a hole-y Ilya Samsonov to give Washington their first lead of the season! (Video.)
The Leafs doubled the Capitals in shots in the first period (22-11) but Charlie Lindgren was the big difference.
2nd Period
🚨 2-2: Calle Järnkrok got behind Dmitry Orlov and beat Charlie Lindgren with a chip-in to tie it up. Beautiful pass by Alex Kerfoot to find the streaking forward. (Video.)
The Capitals played mostly good defense and outshot the Maple Leafs 10-8 in the period. For the first 17 minutes of the second, they gave up only three shots before having a loosey-goosey final few minutes. The Leafs hold a small edge (29-26) in 5v5 shot attempts, heading into the third.
3rd Period
Ilya Samsonov played the puck in front of the net and turned it over right to his former team. “He thought he was still playing for the Capitals,” Craig Laughlin said laughing.
🚨 3-2 Leafs: A Mark Giordano shot from the point rolled off Charlie Lindgren’s shoulder and eeked into the back of the net. Auston Matthews was credited in-house with the goal. Crazy tip. (Video.)
Huge hipcheck by Dmitry Orlov. Auston Matthews with a big hit Martin Fehervary. The Capitals pulled Lindren for an extra man with about three minutes left to go.
Capitals lose and are 0-2 to start the season. The Caps PP is 0 for 9.
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