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The Leafs opened at +105 for this game, which would have been great value. The Leafs are averaging 3.65 goals per game this season, fourth-best in the league, while the Capitals are at 3.17, tied for twelfth. With Toronto, Matthews also has more goal support around him. He’s as reliable as they come if you’re looking for a player to back on a goal-scoring prop. He scored 20 goals in his first 27 games and has 17 goals in 22 games since Jan. Matthews, meanwhile, has been the picture of consistency. 1 and has slipped to fourth place in the Rocket Richard race. He has just 13 goals in 29 games since Dec. Capitals PickĪ matchup between Auston Matthews’ Maple Leafs and Alexander Ovechkin’s Capitals should be a public relations dream, with two of the game’s top scorers going head to head.Īnd while 32 goals are nothing to sneeze at, Ovechkin got off to a tremendous start with 19 goals in his first 23 games. He’s 4-4-0 in February, with a 3.04 goals-against average and a save percentage of. Samsonov has carried most of the load while Vanecek has been sidelined, with middling results. If he feels all right after the game, he’s expected to re-join the Capitals on Monday - although Ilya Samsonov would remain the probable starter. He was assigned to the AHL Hershey Bears on Sunday, for a chance to get some ice time. Goaltender Vitek Vanecek, who has missed a month of action due to an upper-body injury, is also close to returning. He scored with the man advantage against Philadelphia on Saturday, perking up a chilly Capitals power play that has been better recently - 8-for-32 since Jan. Oshie has returned to the Washington lineup after missing 14 games with an upper-body injury. They’ve won just three of their last eight games and have been struggling to score, notching only one goal in losses last week to both the New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers. The Leafs may be going through a rough patch, but the Washington Capitals are in an outright funk. Defenseman Travis Dermott and forward Pierre Engvall have been out with non-COVID illnesses. On the injury front, the Leafs are missing key defenseman Jake Muzzin, who’s once again sidelined with a concussion. He’s up to 54 points, tracking for his biggest year since his 94-point campaign in 2018-19. Also, Mitch Marner logged four goals and two assists on Saturday, becoming the second NHL player this season to record a six-point game.

On the positive side of the ledger, Auston Matthews has four goals and nine points in his last three games, and his 37 goals lead the entire NHL as of Sunday afternoon. But the Toronto captain hasn’t scored in 12 games - an uncharacteristically long drought for him. The 31-year-old has 48 points in 51 games and has been chipping in with assists. Leafs fans are also concerned about John Tavares. And while Mrazek did have a strong outing in Toronto’s 3-1 win over Minnesota last week, he’s still at -4.8 goals saved above expected, and his save percentage for the season is an uninspiring. With backup Petr Mrazek now healthy, the Leafs have been trying to use a relatively balanced approach to their netminding. That includes five in 44:42 against the Red Wings on Saturday. After a strong start to the season, Jack Campbell is now down to just 2.4 goals saved above expected and has allowed 14 goals in his last three outings.

It’s safe to say that goaltending has been an issue. Then, on Saturday, the Leafs were part of one of the NHL’s biggest defensive debacles in decades - eventually skating away with a 10-7 win in Detroit. Toronto recently snapped a three-game losing streak that included losses to the Montreal Canadiens and Columbus Blues Jackets. But lately, they’ve been on quite a ride. The Maple Leafs are keeping pace with the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning near the top of the Atlantic Division standings. Here’s the lowdown on both squads and your best bet for Monday’s matchup.Ĭan Leafs Scorers Make Up for Poor Goaltending? It’s the first of three meetings this season between the Eastern Conference foes, and it comes at a time when both teams are struggling to play at their best. Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals are set to host Auston Matthews and the Toronto Maple Leafs at Capital One Arena. Two of the NHL’s most dazzling goal scorers will go head to head on Monday night in the nation’s capital.