Capitals’ Ovechkin leaves game with apparent left leg injury

The last time Toronto played five overtimes in a series was 1951, when Bill Barilko’s OT victor won the Leafs the Stanley Cup.

WASHINGTON – Justin Williams scored the overtime victor as the Washington Capitals beat the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 5 to take a 3-2 lead in their first-round series.

Matthews scored for the third consecutive game, becoming the first Leafs rookie to score in three playoff games in a row since Wendel Clark in 1986. “It’s a lot of fun”, Toronto coach Mike Babcock said. Come on. You want to.

The Capitals’ future is a rematch against the defending Stanley Cup champion Penguins, who dispatched the Blue Jackets in five and have been waiting since Thursday night. Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews (34) and Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) shake hands after the Capitals defeated the Maple Leafs in Game 6 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playo.

For his part, Kadri said he didn’t intend to injure Ovechkin and was glad he returned.

“It’s a good series”. We believe we still have a chance to win. “We’re excited. We can’t wait to get going”. Who knows? But I don’t think even the Toronto Maple Leafs most optimistic fan thought Auston Matthews would be this good, this fast.

It has been a close series with each game decided by one goal and four of the five decided in overtime. What worked in the regular season often doesn’t work when the play gets chippier, the checking becomes tighter and the referees put away their whistles. Elimination notwithstanding, the 19-year-old delivered in his first playoffs, scoring goals in four straight games.

When the game started, the Maple Leafs made their best start of the series, taking the play to the Capitals from the opening faceoff.

“You get the opportunity to push someone off the cliff, you need to push them off, if you can”, Trotz said. “We got better and better”. You want to play game seven in Washington.

“Its a credit to Toronto, which has got some young talent, ” Trotz said.

“You always say expect the unexpected and you really have to reiterate it in those circumstances to just react”, Holtby said.

“Ah, I’m not quite sure I was happy to see him come back on the ice”, Kadri admitted. We’re the same thing.

“We still have a ways to go”. “That being said, they have good penalty killers, they work hard, they have a lot of speed and so it’s going to be a factor in the next game. There should be no more desperate team than us and we’re all aware and understand that fully”.

MacArthur scored in Game 2 of the series, and then got past David Pastrnak on his way into the Bruins’ zone in overtime, tempting the Boston forward into pulling him down from behind. “The first-year guys are getting their feet wet and what a better way to do it than what they’re doing up there now”, he said.

Sparks was held out for precautionary reasons and no update was provided after the game, so it is unknown whether he or Kaskisuo will be in goal for Game 3 at Ricoh Coliseum on Wednesday.

On April 17, all four games that were played went to overtime, marking the first time since 1985 that a night of playoff hockey can boast that.

As long as his memory is in check, he said, he will never feel blind.

“I was in the right place at the right time.” said Williams, who has 16 goals in 44 tries in Games 5-7.

With Krug, Brandon Carlo and Adam McQuaid out, rookie Charlie McAvoy played 31:14 Friday, and Joe Morrow 29:54.

Game 5’s narrative was briefly defined by Nazem Kadri’s first-period hit on Alex Ovechkin, which left Ovechkin writhing on the ice and temporarily sidelined. Ovechkin clutched his left knee, was down on the ice for several minutes and didn’t put weight on his left leg as he was helped off.

Capitals defenseman Karl Alzner, who has missed the past three games with an upper-body injury, is “progressing” but still day to day, according to Trotz. Their defense did well in Games 5 and 6 and Braden Holtby seems to be at the top of his game.