Capitals came back again as a veteran buries Leafs late

Down 2-0 early in the second, Washington roared back for a 4-2 win that finally tilted a recent lopsided matchup back in their favor.

Dylan Strome's would-be opener was wiped out on a quick whistle from Kelly Sutherland while the puck was still loose, and moments later Morgan Rielly scored on Toronto's first shot as Joseph Woll started a 30-save performance.

The power play did the group no favors. Washington went 0-for-2, spent most of that time tossing the puck around the outside, and still looked like a unit searching for any real identity despite recent tweaks.

Alex Ovechkin continued to double-shift there, but at 40 he understandably looked gassed by the time the second unit climbed over the boards.

Connor McMichael kept his mini surge going, scoring for a second straight game and putting up points in three straight, solid stuff from a 24 year old former 25th overall pick in 2019.

Aliaksei Protas quietly added another helper, and that line again looked like one of Spencer Carbery's most reliable five-on-five drivers.

On the back end, Chychrun once again felt inevitable. The 2016 first-rounder, taken 16th by the Arizona Coyotes, now has goals in five straight and points in ten straight, sitting near the top of the league's defensemen goal chart with ten this season.

It was not all clean on the blue line. John Carlson's brutal turnover just after a failed power play gift-wrapped the 2-0 goal for Matthew Knies.

Logan Thompson answered the moment after that early softie. The 28 year old undrafted goalie steadied for 20 saves.

So the Caps fly out with three straight wins, five in their last six, and a 14-9-2 record that suddenly looks much more like a playoff trajectory than a mirage.