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SPORTSCENTRE Reporter

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TSN Toronto reporter Mark Masters checks in daily with news and notes on the Maple Leafs. The Leafs and Capitals skated at Scotiabank Arena ahead of tonight's game. 

Alexander Ovechkin has 38 goals in 47 career games against the Maple Leafs – the most against a team the Capitals haven't shared a division with since 2005-06.

He’s been particularly deadly in Toronto, where he's scored 21 times in 23 games. In the shootout era, Ovechkin has more goals per game in Toronto (.91) than anyone who's played a minimum of 20 games here. Sidney Crosby (.62) is second in that category while Eric Staal is third (.54).

“Just the atmosphere,” Ovechkin said when asked what he likes playing in Toronto. “It’s fun to play where people love hockey.”

Ovechkin scored in his last visit to the centre of the hockey universe, but the Leafs won anyway, 6-3 last month. The Leafs also beat the Capitals in October, meaning Toronto is in position to sweep the season series for the first time since 2002-03.

“We gave them too much space in our zone with that skilled group of guys; didn’t put a lot of pressure [on them] in the neutral zone and sometimes we just played soft,” Ovechkin said. “If we want to have a result against this type of team we have to play hard and don’t give them any space.”

The loss in Toronto on Jan. 23, the final game before the all-star weekend, was the seventh straight for the Capitals. The team has rebounded since the break, going 6-3-1. Braden Holtby believes the Stanley Cup hangover played a role in his team’s up-and-down first half.

“I don't think we've been as consistent as we'd like to be,” the goalie admitted. “The biggest challenge is probably getting over it, forgetting about it, not using it as a crutch, just using it as an experience. I think we've done a better job of that since the all-star break ... finally, enough is enough. Last season is last season. It's time to focus on this season.”

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Carl Hagelin has just two goals and six assists in 38 games this season, but Washington Capitals head coach Todd Reirden believes a change in scenery will serve the 30-year-old winger very well.

“He’s a player that adds speed, adds forward depth and the penalty killing is something that we’ve been trying to improve all year,” Reirden said moments after Washington's trade with Los Angeles was formally announced.

“Those are huge things we feel we’ve added with this player. We also feel the style of play we have is different than the style he’s been playing in Los Angeles systematically, so we feel that this will allow him to use his speed a little bit more and be a factor that way, which we think is really important in the Eastern Conference."

The Capitals rank 22nd in the league on the penalty kill this season. 

Due to the lengthy travel, Hagelin won't play tonight, but should make his Capitals debut on Saturday in Buffalo. 

Meanwhile, Devante Smith-Pelly cleared waivers and has been assigned to Hershey in the American Hockey League. 

"He has to get his game back to where it was at last year in playoff time. He’s someone who’s going to have to find that down in Hershey now and build his game back up," Reirden said. "That’s the challenge for him now and that was the message that was delivered to him."

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Projected Capitals lineup for Thursday's game:

Ovechkin-Kuznetsov-Wilson

Vrana-Backstrom-Oshie

Burakovsky-Eller-Connolly

Stephenson-Dowd-Boyd

Kempny-Carlson

Orlov-Niskanen

Orpik-Djoos

Holtby starts