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TSN Toronto Maple Leafs Reporter

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – There are tight series that unfold come playoff time in the National Hockey League, and then there’s this Eastern Conference quarter-final between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Washington Capitals.

On paper, pitting the Presidents’ Trophy winners against the second wild card shouldn’t have resulted in the all-out drama that has played out over the first five games of the series. Four of the contests have been decided in extra time, and going into Friday’s overtime to decide a Game 5 victor, each side had tallied 15 goals. Toronto had a slight shot advantage – 175 to the Capitals' 174 – but by the time Justin Williams scored the game-winner 1:04 into the frame, that differential was closed too. One shot was all it took for Washington to seize a 3-2 series lead and put Toronto on the brink of elimination.

The last time Toronto went to overtime in four games of a playoff series it was the 1951 Stanley Cup Final. Consider this much bonus hockey - and this many suffocatingly close games - another layer of new experience for a Maple Leafs team that has had about as much as it can handle already this season.

“It’s a game of inches, especially at this point of the season in the playoffs,” said Auston Matthews. “One shot in our end and it’s in their end and maybe the series is 3-2 us. We’ll take away the positives from this game; I thought we played a pretty solid game, and move on to the next one.”

As the first period Friday unfolded, Toronto was playing with more effort and compete than they showed in the opening frames of Games 3 and 4, when they spotted Washington quick two-goal leads. And then, the series looked like it was about to take a serious turn.

Late in the game’s opening frame, Nazem Kadri got low to lay a hit on Washington center Alex Ovechkin’s left knee area. The impact sent Ovechkin’s leg flailing into the air, bent at an awkward angle, as he cartwheeled to the ice. Washington’s captain was down for a few minutes before being helped off the ice, seemingly unable to put weight on his left side.

Kadri was called for tripping, not clipping, which could have resulted in a major penalty and a game misconduct. T.J. Oshie needed 43 seconds to capitalize on the ensuing power play, spotting Washington a one-goal lead after 20 minutes. Ovechkin was able to return for the remainder of the game, rendering one potential storyline moot while revealing another. Toronto went 0-for-4 with the extra man on Friday; Washington’s PP went 1-for-3, scoring on a call Mike Babcock questioned being made at all.

“It’s interesting – [Capitals head coach Barry Trotz] probably thought that should have been a major. I thought there should have been no penalty,” said Babcock. “The other night when [Roman] Polak is [injured and] done for the year, our bench thought it should be a major, they thought it should be no penalty. That’s kind of the playoffs.”

“I tried to get a piece of him, he tried to get out of the way,” added Kadri. “It's not like I stuck my knee out or got my arms high. I was hoping he’s okay...but at the end of the day I’m cheating my teammates if I don’t try to get a piece of him because he’s dumping the puck in and going around our defencemen. I’ve got to hold him up and try to save my defencemen.”

Ovechkin laid two big hits on blueliner Jake Gardiner after returning for the second, which Gardiner admitted he thought may have been the winger looking to extract some retribution for Kadri’s hit. Kadri himself exchanged a few more shoves with Ovechkin late in the second, and Matt Niskanen took issue with the interaction and hit Kadri with a two-handed slash to the back of the leg. Kadri jumped up and crumbled to the ice in pain, encouraging some inquiry as to whether it was a dive, but he showed off the badly bruised calf after the game, saying “it’s a sensitive area.”

But despite the escalation of bad blood across the board in Friday’s game, and the parade of big hits, pointed slashes and heated verbal exchanges that all seemed to be precipitated by Kadri’s hit, the Maple Leafs had to try and keep their composure.

In almost all aspects of the game, Washington and Toronto were equal partners, trading shots (28 for the Capitals, 25 for the Maple Leafs) and chances from end to end throughout the game. The difference ended up being a special teams strike, and the lack thereof. Toronto had a top-two power play in the NHL for much of the regular season, that could score practically at will. On this night they registered just four shots on goal with none looking especially dangerous. Toronto’s power play ranks 10th among 16 playoff teams (17.6 per cent) but to get their numbers up, they’ll have to get in the zone first.

“We’re struggling a bit on our entries, we’ve just got to smooth that out,” Kadri admitted. “They’re throwing a couple different looks at us as far as how they’re forechecking. Just have to tighten up on the entries.”

With their backs firmly against the wall now, the Maple Leafs will have to use Saturday’s off day to figure out their issues in a hurry. Overall they played a strong road game, matching the Capitals' physicality pound-for-pound but not taking advantage of their advantages.

They’ll have at least one more chance to do so on Sunday.

“I keep saying this to you and I don't know if you quite believe it – you can't have any more fun than this,” said Babcock. “These games are good. We've been in overtime four times, it's a good competitive series.

“We believe we still have a chance to win. That's what we're going to do.”
 

Takeaways

Mano-a-mano: If Capitals netminder Braden Holtby has to be good in this series for his team to win, Frederik Andersen has to be great to continue giving the Maple Leafs a chance to pull off the upset. Andersen wasn’t that in Game 4 but he was closer in Game 5. He and Holtby faced a similar number of shots, but Toronto wasn’t keeping the Capitals to the outside as well as Washington was them, allowing quality scoring chances from the slot. And so the stunning saves began piling up: on Evgeny Kuznetsov from in close, on Williams on a wraparound and then another on Kuznetsov in the final minute to force overtime. At one point Andersen barely got his right pad on a Tom Wilson shot to keep the game tied in the second period. On Williams’ game-winner, the play started as a dump-in and four Leafs bit, congregating down low so Kuznetsov could feed Williams for a five-hole strike right in front of Andersen. Toronto will need Andersen’s best and more to stay alive in Game 6.

Veteran-like swagger: If there’s one thing Toronto’s rookie class hasn’t lacked for, it’s confidence, and that has been building even further as this series has gone on. After feeling out the uncharted territory in Game 1, William Nylander has been among Toronto’s best players. His break-neck skating pace, quick hands, and ability to stop and change direction on a dime has given the Capitals fits. He was back at his best in Game 5, controlling the puck down low and putting it right on Holtby, who was being screened by Zach Hyman. That allowed Auston Matthews to find the puck first and wrist it top shelf to tie the game. Matthews is now on a three-game goal streak in this series, becoming the fourth rookie in team history to score in three or more consecutive playoff games. Meanwhile Nylander has a three-game point streak (G, 3A) and Hyman has two points in his last two games (G, A). That line has unquestionably been Toronto’s best at both ends of the ice, consistently frustrating the Kuznetsov line with their quick movement down low.

In the doghouse? Defenceman Connor Carrick played just 6:31 on Friday, a team-low, and was one of only two players to not see time on the power play or penalty kill. After taking an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty early in the second period, Carrick played just five more shifts through the end of the game. He has consistently tallied the lowest ice time of any defender, even when the club was down to five in Game 2 after Polak was injured, but Babcock has punted questions about the disparity to the assistant coach making the calls on the back end. Carrick didn't have a banner game on Friday by any stretch, in particular when he was undressed by Andre Burakovsky in his own zone that could have resulted in a breakaway scoring chance if Burakovsky hadn't missed the net. A fifth-round draft choice by the Capitals in 2012, Carrick has admitted there are still some personal feelings involved when he plays them, and sometimes it looks like he's overcompensating by trying to be too feisty and physical, which is what landed him in the box Friday. He was also one half of the comedy of errors at Toronto's blue line that led to Oshie's game-winner in the third period of Game 4. Carrick would do well to try and settle in in Game 6 and play a smart, physical game that also highlights his strengths on the blue line.

Next game: Toronto will welcome the Capitals back to the Air Canada Centre for Game 6 on Sunday.