The Toronto Maple Leafs gave the Washington Capitals all they could handle and then some in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Leafs took the top-seeded Capitals to six games and were just minutes away from forcing a Game 7. But that’s when Washington’s Marcus Johansson took over. With under eight minutes to play in the third period of Sunday’s Game 6 in Toronto, Johansson tied the score with a gritty goal in front of the net.
That set up the fifth overtime game in the teams’ six contests, but this time, the Capitals finally put the nail in the Leafs’ coffin.
Just over six minutes into the extra period, Johansson delivered again, redirecting a Justin Williams shot past Toronto goaltender Frederik Andersen to give Washington a 2-1 win and a series victory.
Each game in the tightly contested series was decided by one goal, but the Caps won three of the five OT contests to narrowly advance to the second round. Their path won’t get any easier, either, as they’ll take on the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins in a best-of-seven series.
Thumbnail photo via Tom Szczerbowski/USA TODAY Sports Images
