The Capitals continued their surge towards an Eastern Conference playoff spot after Monday night’s thrilling shootout victory at Pittsburgh.
Tonight, they finish a brief road trip with the first of back-to-back games against the floundering Toronto Maple Leafs before the NHL begins its All-Star break over the weekend.
Thanks to the come-from-behind 6-5 shootout win at Pittsburgh — their first at Mellon Arena since 2002 — the Caps (22-21-5, 49 points) sit just three points behind first-place Carolina (24-23-4, 52 points) in the Southeast Division and 10th in the conference overall. Not bad for a team that was mired in last place for much of the season. That is something the desperate Maple Leafs are hoping to avoid. Tuesday they fired general manager John Ferguson and hired Cliff Fletcher, a member of the NHL Hall of Fame and former Toronto GM, to run the organization on an interim basis.
“After full consideration of the Leafs’ situation, it has become clear that change and a new direction is needed,” said Richard Peddie, president and CEO of Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment.
Toronto (19-22-8, 46 points) is in 14th place in the Eastern Conference and has won just four times in its last 12 games. Thanks to his two-goal, one-assist effort vs. the Penguins, Caps forward Alex Ovechkin now leads the NHL in goals (38) and is third in total points (62).
