Overview:

Washington Caps are fresh off an impressive victory over a really good Bruins team in their barn.  Toronto is fresh off a loss to the Montreal Canadiens in what I thought was a very well played game for the Leafs.  According to the Hockey Insider, D-League some Leafs fans are already calling for Vesa Toskala to be benched (after one game) in favor of the Jonas “The Monster” Gustavsson.  Ironically, some Washington fans might have been asking for the same thing had Jose Theodore laid an egg in Boston. Theodore silenced his critics (at least for a while) with an impressive performance in Boston and he would have had a shutout if his teammates did not give up a late breakaway. Toronto is in the early stages of a rebuild that the Washington Caps are very familiar with.

Official Game Notes PDF (Click here)

Who’s Hot?

Toronto: Matt Stajan 2 goals, Viktor Stalberg – According to Coach Wilson was easily the best guy on the ice versus Montreal. Mike Komisarek had what I thought was a heck of a game even though he is being blasted by the Toronto media.

Washington: Nicklas Backstrom 3 assists, Brooks Laich 2 goals/1 assist, Alexander Ovechkin 2 goals/1 assist.

Who’s Not?  Too early for that

Keys to the Game Toronto:

·         Be Physical but smart with the Caps – Ron Wilson believes that physical play creates opportunities but Toronto cannot afford penalties because the Caps power play is absolutely lethal (ask Boston).

·         Deny the Caps the center of the ice – The Caps generate a lot of scoring opportunities in that area so the Leafs would be smart to try and take it away.

·         Control-Limit Rebounds – With bangers like Knuble, Laich, Clark and others hanging around the net Toskala and the Leafs defense needs to keep the rebounds to a minimum.

Keys to the game Washington:

·         Play your game – The Maple Leafs cannot skate with the Caps if the Caps play their game.

·         Keep the pressure on – The Caps high pressure style of play can force the Leafs into mistakes and penalties if they don’t let up

·         Stay Medium  –Borrowing a phrase from embattled Washington Redskins Head Coach Jim Zorn,  The Caps need to pace themselves and keep an even keel despite the opening night festivities.

Interesting tidbits:

1.      Toronto may not be the most talented team but GM, Brian Burke went out of his way to make sure they are a tough team so this will be an interesting test for the Caps that got rid of Donald Brashear. Should the Maple Leafs decide to start taking liberties with the Caps key players how will Bruce Boudreau respond? The better question is who will respond?

2.       How is Semyon Varlamov going to rebound after his meltdown in game 7 last season?

3.       How short is the hook for Vesa Toskala?