Overtime thoughts

For the most part, this was a pretty even game, with Washington capitalizing on the few defensive breakdowns the Leafs had and the Leafs not. Sometimes, the game of hockey is as simple as that, and I doubt that Craig Berube will be upset with the outcome of this game since his team played a strong game even with the loss.

A strong five-on-five performance was spoiled by a few timely breakdowns and losing the special-teams battle. Goaltending has been the Leafs’ biggest strength this year, but losing Anthony Stolarz due to knee surgery is concerning. The tandem of Joseph Woll and Matt Murray over the eight games since losing Stolarz has a save percentage of .869% and a 3.88 goals against average. Those numbers just won’t be good enough in the long run and are a hard pill to swallow considering that Stolarz is still second in the league with a save percentage of .927 and third in the league in goals against average of 2.15.

The Leafs outshot the Capitals, scoring only two goals on 37 shots, with the main reason being Caps goaltender Logan Thompson, who looked incredible again, raising the question, how did the Stanley Cup winner not make Team Canada for the Four Nations tournament? I believe that in a short tournament like the Four Nations, the goaltending position should be based on who the hottest goaltenders are right before team selection, and that is not what Canada did, or Thompson would be on the team.

Toronto does not play until December 31 when they host the New York Islanders, where they will try to even the season series to one apiece.