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Maple Leafs rally past Capitals in OT to take 2-1 series lead

Xinhua, April 18, 2017 Adjust font size:

The Toronto Maple Leafs scored three unanswered goals to defeat the Washington Capitals 4-3 in overtime on Monday evening's game to take a 2-1 series lead in first round of the National Hockey League's Stanley Cup Playoffs.

After allowing two quick goals by Washington forwards Nicklas Backstrom and Alex Ovechkin in the first five minutes of the game and trailing by 3-1 for the majority of the second period, Toronto bounced back with goals from rookies Connor Brown and William Nylander in the final minutes of the second frame.

Following a scoreless third period, Toronto entered the overtime period with a man advantage due to penalties from the end of the third period that carried over. Just before the penalty expired, Maple Leafs centre Tyler Bozak redirected a wrist shot past the extended glove of Washington goaltender Braden Holtby to clinch the game.

"It's a good feeling. I love the way we responded when we got down," said Bozak after the win. "We can enjoy tonight but we still got a lot of work to do."

Through three games in this series, the two teams have been tied at the end of regulation time in each game. In game one, Washington overcame a two-goal margin to win 3-2, while Toronto needed two overtime periods in game two to prevail in their 4-3 victory.

Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock was impressed with his team's energy level and believes they are gaining confidence with every game played.

"Today, for whatever reason, we had tons of energy, energy was not a problem. But getting to the right spots was a bit of a problem," Babcock told reporters after the game.

"I thought we gained confidence in game one, because should we could play, and game two was a big confidence booster for us," he continued. "Now if you talk to our guys, our guys think we're a good hockey team. When you're a good hockey team, I think you gain respect for yourself and start to believe that maybe you can do this," he added.

After finishing last place in the league a season earlier, Babcock's squad has bounced back in a big way with a 26-point improvement over last season to reach the postseason for the first time in four years. The biggest area of improvement is in the young talent the team have developed.

The team was the first team in NHL history to play six rookies for at least 70 games. No. 1 overall pick Auston Matthews led the way by playing in all 82 games and ranking second in the league with 40 goals scored. His 69 points ranked him first in the league amongst first-year players, nine points ahead of the 60 points by teammates William Nylander and Mitchell Marner.

Babcock's young group will look to extend their series lead on Wednesday when the two teams square off for game four. The last time Toronto has won a playoff series was 2004 when they beat Ottawa in the first round. Endit