Washington Capitals grab second win over Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 -NHL Update
Washington remained consistent throughout their Saturday night matchup against Toronto Maple Leafs as the Capitals grabbed their second straight victory, 4-2, at the sold-out Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
The four points from winning two consecutive matchups has definitely helped Washington get closer to the playoff spots but they still remain below the line with 67, a single point away from tying Winnipeg Jets.
With a little over a month remaining till the 2011-2012 National Hockey League (NHL) comes to an end, Washington will have to watch their every move which just could mean them making it or being ousted from the postseason.
Toronto is also struggling as they stand one spot below Capitals at number 10 with 65 after losing back-to-back games and being thrown out of the playoff spots.
"It is a tough time of year for guys playing in a big market like this and hearing stuff day in and day out," Toronto’s Dion Phaneuf said. "But it's part of the business and we've all been through it. We're going to come back with the right attitude and
we've got to win hockey games. That's the bottom line.”
Maple Leafs are currently on a four-game losing streak.
Alex Ovechkin helped kick off the scoring as he assisted the opening goal 32 seconds coming into the match with Marcus Johansson potting his 12th of the season.
"It's always good to get the first one and then have something to work off," Johansson said. "It was a good feeling for the team to get (a lead) right away. After that, I think we kept going and we never really stopped.”
Alexander Semin widened the gap with another nearly three minutes later and it was two more from Jeff Halpern and Keith Aucoin’s season first that gave Washington the sustainable lead to take the match with Toronto shutout for the initial 40 minutes.
Colby Armstrong and Tim Connolly gave Toronto two straight in the third period, but were out of time to add anymore, giving Washington the win.
Toronto has the next at home against Florida Panthers on Tuesday while Washington is set to end off the month with three straight as they host New York Islanders on the same day.
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