Matthews scores his seventh of the season, Leafs beat Capitals regardless of Ovechkin’s aim

Auston Matthews scored his seventh aim of the season, Joseph Woll made 36 saves and the Toronto Maple Leafs handed the Washington Capitals their fourth loss in 5 video games, 4-1 on Tuesday night time.

Alex Ovechkin scored his first aim this season and 823rd of his NHL profession, shifting 71 again of Wayne Gretzky’s file. Ovechkin, who would have tied a career-long season-opening aim drought if he hadn’t scored, had a game-high 14 photographs, together with a failed penalty shot.

“Fourteen shots? He shoots a lot,” Woll mentioned. “Obviously he has a great shot. There’s a reason he’s scored so many goals. He was a dangerous player, especially in his little kitchen on the power play. I thought we did a good job.”

Woll denied Ovechkin on the penalty shot early within the second interval, dropping the Capitals captain to 2 of 13 in his profession. His 13 penalty photographs are actually tied for essentially the most in NHL historical past with Vinny Lecavalier.

“I tried to make a move, and he save it,” Ovechkin mentioned.

Ovechkin‘s offensive contribution on the facility play got here too late, nicely after an early aim was disallowed as a result of the league dominated he interfered with Woll and with the Capitals trailing 4-0. Darcy Kuemper allowed 4 targets on the primary 12 photographs he confronted and 17 general.

Washington’s solely win thus far got here in a shootout final week at dwelling in opposition to Calgary. This loss got here in opposition to the workforce new coach Spencer Carbery spent the previous two seasons with as an assistant.

“We’re just frustrated and I think we have so many good chances tonight and we just couldn’t score,” Ovechkin mentioned. “It’s part of the process.”

Matthews’ aim was his first since back-to-back hat tips to open the season. Morgan Rielly, John Tavares and William Nylander additionally scored for the Maple Leafs, who received for a fourth time in six video games.

“You have to give them a lot of credit,” Carbery mentioned. “They have a great workforce, and elite gamers make a number of elite performs in given moments. Tavares’ aim, Nylander’s aim, Morgan Rielly’s aim, Auston’s aim — that’s the distinction within the sport.

Rielly’s aim was the primary by a Maple Leafs defenseman this season and the fifth time the Capitals gave up the primary aim of the sport. Tavares and Nylander prolonged their respective season-opening level streaks to 6 and have become the third set of Toronto teammates to do this.

“They’re playing that kind of two-man game with one another (with) lots of speed, lots of skill,” Rielly mentioned. “When they’re feeling it and they’re connected, it’s special.”

NOTES: Woll is the a hundred and seventieth completely different goaltender Ovechkin has scored in opposition to. … Ovechkin’s aim was his three hundredth on the facility play and three,000th in Capitals historical past, giving him 10% of their franchise complete.

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Maple Leafs: Make their fourth cease on a five-game street journey Thursday on the Dallas Stars.

Capitals: Goaltender Hunter Shepard is anticipated to make his NHL debut Wednesday on the New Jersey Devils.