Alexander Ovechkin, who was off the scoresheet in his first four games, finally opened his scoring this season by scoring in a losing effort for the Capitals, who were defeated 4-1 by the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday night in Washington .
Number 8 got a golden chance by benefiting from a penalty in the second period. Joseph Woll, however, recognized the Capitals captain’s intentions and blocked his throw with his backhand.
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The Russian had his revenge before the end of the battle. With just 11 seconds left, he scored a goal on the power play with a wrist shot, becoming the first player in history to score 300 times on the power play. The race for Wayne Gretzky’s record is officially restarted: Ovechkin scored his 823rd career goal.
The Capitals were sorely lacking in opportunism, while the Leafs were the exact opposite. They fired just 17 shots at Darcy Kuemper’s cage, hitting the target four times.
Auston Matthews scored his seventh goal of the season when his slap shot surprised Kuemper in the second period. He and Morgan Rielly finished the game with one goal and one assist each. William Nylander and John Tavares were the visitors’ other goalscorers.
After replacing Ilya Samsonov on Saturday, Woll had another outstanding game, facing 36 Capitals shots. The American captain’s representatives have won only one of their five games.