The Caps out-worked, out-hussled, out-hit, out-played Toronto for virtually the whole game. Washington looked hungry, Toronto looked, well, old. This team can be fun to watch, even when they aren't winning.

So Ovechkin's goal, I didn't think it should have counted, but hey, I'll take it. The Johnson save on Tucker that was reviewed went the right way: there was no way of telling if the puck was entirely over the goal line, particularly since only the end of Johnson's glove went in and it looked like he saved it dead center. The other reviewed call was indisputable: Toronto played it in with a glove, deliberately. Sad thing is that if he hadn't touched it, the puck would likely have bounced in a la Wilsie's tally in the first.

Overall what fun! It's great to see a classless team like Toronto lose a must-win game to a bad team, and ever better when the terrible team is Washington.

Let's Go Caps!
www.washingtonhockey.com

"It's disappointing because you sit there at the end of the game and the other team is looking over at you and laughing," Tucker said. "It's not a fun thing, that's for sure."

Ovechkin said they were just "smiling and having fun in Toronto."

The Maple Leafs are in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time in coach Pat Quinn's seven-year tenure. Toronto fans loudly booed the Maple Leafs as the final buzzer sounded on their third straight loss. The Leafs are three points behind Montreal for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

"Maybe we aren't as good as we think we are because we haven't done well against the teams below us," Quinn said.

http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/H/HKN_CAPITALS_MAPLE_LEAFS?SITE=1010WINS&SECTION=AMERICAS&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2006-02-28-23-12-31

And more...

"McCabe had an erratic game. On one occasion, he sparkled by diving to prevent a clean breakaway by Jeff Halpern.

But shortly afterward, on a Toronto power play, he took an ill-advised shot into Matt Pettinger's pads, then dove to stop Pettinger and missed completely.

As a result, Pettinger went in alone on Belfour and scored.

Then when the period ended, McCabe earned himself a 10-minute misconduct for yapping at the referees. Not doubt he felt that with only eight of the 11 power plays that had been awarded, the Leafs were being short-changed.

McCabe has to realize that he's too important to the Leafs to be missing for 10-minute stretches, especially when the team is trailing and needs his power-play contributions.

USUAL CONTRIBUTIONS

Tie Domi made his usual contributions -- a stupid penalty and a dive. The Caps scored while he was in the box, but the Leafs didn't score on the penalty he created, so that's not a very good deal.

And the entire Toronto power play took a failing grade as well.

Even though the Caps staged a parade to the penalty box, the Leafs mostly were impotent, with Tucker's goal being the only exception.

And Mats Sundin? Don't ask. He showed the effects of his Olympic gold-medal celebrations.

But who can blame him? He's not likely to get the opportunity to do any celebrating with the Leafs."

http://www.torontosun.com/Sports/Hockey/2006/03/01/1467730-sun.html

Let's Go Caps!
www.washingtonhockey.com

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