Leafs’ belief rising after another OT win over Caps: ‘That’s been the feeling the whole time’
TORONTO — The Maple Leafs think they could just topple a giant in the first round.
They scored their second straight overtime victory on Monday night, downing the Washington Capitals 4-3 in front of an electric Air Canada Centre crowd. Toronto now leads the best-of-seven series 2-1, suddenly with the upper hand on the best team in hockey and starting to believe in its upset potential.
“That’s been the feeling the whole time,” 23-year-old defenceman Morgan Rielly said. “So that hasn’t changed.”
Tyler Bozak scored the overtime winner after the Leafs dug out from deficits of 2-0 and 3-1, controlling large swaths of play against a team that piled up 55 wins and 118 points during the regular season. While the 31-year-old Bozak and a handful of veterans showed well, including Rielly, Leo Komarov and Nazem Kadri (two points), it was again the performance of youth that shone brightest.