Washington, D.C. – In a thrilling contest at Capital One Arena on Friday night, the Washington Capitals rallied from a two-goal deficit to secure a 4-2 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs, thanks to a late game-winning goal from defenseman Jakob Chychrun. With the win, the Capitals improved to 14-9-2, while the Maple Leafs fell to 10-11-3, continuing their struggles on the road with a 2-7-0 record.
The game began with early drama as Anthony Beauvillier appeared to score just 16 seconds into the first period, but the goal was disallowed due to a premature whistle from the referee. Toronto capitalized on the reprieve, with Morgan Rielly scoring the opening goal at 3:07 of the first period. The Maple Leafs extended their lead in the second period when Matthew Knies scored his sixth goal of the season, making it 2-0. Auston Matthews earned his 742nd career point on the play, moving him up the franchise list.
Despite being outshot 23-10 through two periods, Toronto maintained their lead until late in the second when Connor McMichael put the Capitals on the board with a backhand goal at 13:18, cutting the deficit to 2-1.
The Capitals mounted their comeback in the third period. Beauvillier scored at 13:16 of the third, tying the game 2-2 off a feed from Alex Ovechkin. Then, with under four minutes remaining in regulation, Ryan Leonard delivered a cross-ice pass to Chychrun, who fired a one-timer past Maple Leafs goalie Joseph Woll to give Washington a 3-2 lead. Chychrun's goal, his 10th of the season, extended his point streak to 10 games and his goal streak to five games. It also marked the 22nd goal scored by a Washington defenseman this season, the most in the NHL. Tom Wilson sealed the victory with an empty-net goal, his team-leading 13th of the season, making the final score 4-2.
Capitals goalie Logan Thompson made 19 saves, while his counterpart, Joseph Woll, stopped 30 shots. Dylan Strome had what appeared to be a goal disallowed 21 seconds into the game, and he contributed his 16th assist on Beauvillier's tying goal.
The Capitals finished their homestand with a 3-1-0 record. They will begin a four-game road trip on Sunday against the New York Islanders. The Maple Leafs continue their six-game road trip on Saturday in Pittsburgh.
