2021-22 Matchups vs. Washington: First of Three
Toronto Season Record: 34-14-4
Toronto Road Record: 15-9-3
TV: Sportsnet RADIO: Sportsnet 590

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
February 25, 2022
The Maple Leafs have recalled forward Nick Robertson from the Toronto
Marlies (AHL).
February 24, 2022
The Maple Leafs have recalled forward Kyle Clifford from the Toronto
Marlies (AHL).

LAST GAME
Score: Toronto 10 at Detroit 7
Date: Saturday, February 26, 2022
TOR Goals: Nylander, Bunting, Kämpf, Marner (4x), Matthews, Mikheyev, Kaše
DET Goals: Raymond (2x), Gagner, Hronek, Rowney, Veleno, Rasmussen
TOR Goaltender: Campbell, 20/25 .800 SV% – Mrazek, 6/8, .750 SV%
DET Goaltender: Nedeljkovic, 19/25, .760 SV%, Greiss, 10/14, .714 SV%
TOR Power Play: –
TOR Penalty Kill: 3-for-3
Team Notes:

• Mitch Marner posted his first career NHL hat trick and added another
  goal for a single-game NHL career-high of four goals. Marner also
  recorded a single-game NHL career-high with six points (4G, 2A).
• Michael Bunting posted a single-game NHL career-high in assists with
  four. Bunting also posted a single-game NHL career-high in points with five
  (1G, 4A).
• Auston Matthews posted a single-game NHL career-high four points
  during Thursday’s game (1G, 3A). He has recorded a four-point game on
  10 occasions during his NHL career. With his 37th goal of the season,
  Matthews leads the league in goals.
• Ondrej Kaše posted the second shorthanded goal of his NHL career.
  With Kaše’s shorthanded goal, the Maple Leafs are tied for second in the
  league among shorthanded goal leaders only trailing the Vegas Golden
  Knights (9). The Maple Leafs are also the only team in the NHL to have not
  allowed a shorthanded goal against.
• With three assists on Thursday, Justin Holl posted a single-game NHL
  career-high in both assists and points.
• With his ninth goal of the season posted on Thursday, Ilya Mikheyev
  recorded an NHL career season-high in goals.
• With his eighth goal of the season posted on Thursday, David Kämpf
  tied an NHL career season-high in goals.
  NEXT GAME
  
  Date: Wednesday, March 2, 2022
  Opponent: vs. Buffalo Sabres
  Time: 7:30 pm ET
  Broadcast Information: Sportsnet (TV), Sportsnet 590 (Radio)
• INJURY REPORT
  Jake Muzzin Concussion
• ALL-TIME VS. WASHINGTON CAPITALS:
  First Matchup between Clubs: October 27, 1974 (Toronto 4 at Washington 3)
  All-Time Record: 63-71-10-5 (149 Games)
  All-Time Record at Home: 38-27-6-2 (73 Games)
  All-Time Record on the Road: 25-44-4-3 (76 Games)
  Last Road Win vs. Opponent: October 13, 2018 (Toronto 4 at Washington 2)
  Record in Last Five Games: 2-2-1
  Record in Last 10 Games: 3-5-2
• ACTIVE LEADERS VS. WASHINGTON CAPITALS:
  Games Played: Jason Spezza (41), Wayne Simmonds (38), John Tavares (38)
  Goals: John Tavares (17), Jason Spezza (14), Wayne Simmonds (11)
  Assists:
  Jason Spezza (24), John Tavares (16), Wayne Simmonds (11), Morgan
  Rielly (11)
  Points: Jason Spezza (38), John Tavares (33), Wayne Simmonds (22)
  Penalty Minutes: Wayne Simmonds (40), Kyle Clifford (20), Jason Spezza (16)
• 2021-22 AVERAGES AND RANKINGS
  Points % GF/Game GA/Game PP% PK% SF/G SA/G FO%
  Toronto .692 3.65 2.85 30.0% 85.0% 34.8 30.7 56.3%
  Washington .602 3.17 2.76 16.1% 79.6% 31.3 28.8 46.9%
• THE MAN ADVANTAGE IN 2021-22
  Power Play: 42/140 (30.0%)
  Power Play Goal Leader: 12 – Matthews
  Power Play Point Leader: 22 – Matthews (12G, 10A)
  2020-21 Power Play: 31/155 (20.0%)
• ON THE PK IN 2021-22
  Penalty Kill: 125/147 (85.0%)
  Shorthanded Goal Leader: 2 – Kämpf, Marner, Mikheyev
  Shorthanded Point Leader: 4 – Kämpf (2G, 2A)
  2020-21 Penalty Kill: 113/144 (78.5%)
  FAST FACTS
  
  Monday games 8th of 10 (3 home, 7 road)
  Back-to-Backs played 8 of 13
  Record in first game of back-to-back 4-3-1
  Record in second game of back-to-back 3-4-1
  February games 12th of 12 (4 home, 8 road)
• UPCOMING MILESTONES
  TJ Brodie Six points away from 300 career NHL points
  Mitch Marner Two games away from 400 career NHL games played
  Jake Muzzin Nine points away from 300 career NHL points
• 2021-22 MILESTONES
  Wayne Simmonds Three games away from 1,000 career NHL games played
  TJ Brodie Appeared in his 700th career NHL game, Nov. 2, 2021 vs. VGK
  TJ Brodie Scored his 50th career NHL goal, Dec. 14, 2021 at EDM
  Jack Campbell Appeared in his 100th career NHL game, Nov. 16, 2021 vs. NSH
  Pierre Engvall Appeared in his 100th career NHL game, Nov. 2, 2021 vs. VGK
  Ondrej Kaše Recorded his 100th career NHL point, Nov. 10, 2021 at PHI
  Ondrej Kaše Scored his 50th career NHL goal, Dec. 9, 2021 vs. TBL
  Alexander Kerfoot Appeared in his 300th career NHL game, Nov. 26, 2021 at SJS
  Alexander Kerfoot Recorded his 100th career NHL assist, Jan. 1, 2022 vs. OTT
  Timothy Liljegren Scored his first career NHL goal, Jan. 15, 2022 at STL
  Auston Matthews Recorded his 400th career NHL point, Jan. 31, 2022 vs. NJD
  Auston Matthews Recorded his 200th career NHL goal, Oct. 25, 2021 at CAR
  Mitch Marner Recorded his 400th career NHL point, Feb. 14, 2022 at SEA
  Ilya Mikheyev Skated in his 100th career NHL game, Jan. 15, 2022 at STL
  William Nylander Skated in his 400th career NHL game, Feb. 1, 2022 at NJD
  William Nylander Recorded his 300th career NHL point, Jan. 19, 2022 at NYR
  Morgan Rielly Recorded his 250th career NHL assist, Oct. 27, 2021 at CHI
  Morgan Rielly Skated in his 600th career NHL game, Dec. 9, 2021 vs. TBL
  Wayne Simmonds Skated in his 950th career NHL game, Oct. 16, 2021 vs. OTT
  Jason Spezza Skated in his 1,200th career NHL game, Nov. 28, 2021 at ANA
  John Tavares Recorded his 200th point with the Maple Leafs, Oct. 18, 2021 vs. NYR
  John Tavares Scored his 100th goal with the Maple Leafs, Nov. 13, 2021 at BUF
  John Tavares Skated in his 900th career NHL game, Jan. 1, 2022 vs. OTT
  

2021-22 TEAM LEADERS

CATEGORY LEADER CATEGORY LEADER
GOALS 37 – Matthews HITS 87 – Simmonds
ASSISTS 37 – Rielly BLOCKED SHOTS 71 – Brodie
POINTS 68 – Matthews (37G, 31A) TAKEAWAYS 59 – Matthews
POWER PLAY POINTS 22 – Matthews (12G, 10A) TOI PER GAME 24:13 – Rielly
SHORTHANDED POINTS 4 – Kämpf (2G, 2A) PP TOI PER GAME 2:58 – Marner
PIMs 47 – Simmonds SH TOI PER GAME 2:41 – Muzzin
SHOTS 221 – Matthews WINS 23 – Campbell
FACEOFF% 61.5% – Tavares GOALS-AGAINST AVERAGE 2.55 – Campbell
SHOT ATTEMPTS% 60.00% – Robertson SAVE PERCENTAGE .917 – Campbell

WASHINGTON CAPITALS

LAST GAME
Washington 1, Philadelphia 2
February 26, 2022 Wells Fargo Center Philadelphia, PA
Shots: WSH: 28; PHI: 22
Power Plays: WSH: 1/3; PHI: 0/2
Three Stars: 1. Atkinson (PHI), 2. Giroux (PHI), 3. Oshie (WSH)
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
Re-assigned Vitek Vanecek and Pheonix Copley to AHL Hershey, 2/27
Re-assigned Brett Leason to AHL Hershey, 2/24
CAPITALS MILESTONES WITHIN REACH
Alex Ovechkin – Three game-winning goals shy of passing Gordie Howe (121) for the second most in NHL history, five goals shy of passing Jaromir Jagr
(766g) for the third most goals in NHL history, one game shy of passing Sergei Fedorov (1,248) for third among Russian players
Nicklas Backstrom – Five points shy of 1,000 career points, two assists shy of passing Bernie Nicholis (734a) for the 47th most assists in NHL history
Ovechkin and Backstrom – Four games shy of playing 1,000 career games together
Justin Schultz – One assist shy of 200 career assists
Carl Hagelin – Four points shy of 300 career points
Conor Sheary – Five points shy of 200 career points, two assists shy of 100 career assists, three goals shy of 100 career goals
CAPITALS MILESTONES RECENTLY ACHIEVED
Nicklas Backstrom – Passed Rod Brind’Amour (732) for the 48th most assists in NHL history, 2/26 at PHI
CURRENT INJURIES/ILLNESSES
Anthony Mantha: 11/6-2/26 (44 games)
Vitek Vanecek: 12/29-1/8, 2/2-2/26 (13 games)
Justin Schultz: 11/26-11/30, 2/17, 2/26 (5 games)
Man Games Lost: 203
(For a full season injury report, please check the Supplemental Stats package available in Caps Today)
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
March 3, 7 p.m. (ET) vs. Carolina (ESPN+, Hulu, 106.7 The Fan/Caps Radio 24/7)
March 5, 7 p.m. (ET) vs. Seattle (NBCSW, 106.7 The Fan/Caps Radio 24/7)
March 8, 9 p.m. (ET) at Calgary (NBCSW, 106.7 The Fan/Caps Radio 24/7)
March 9, 8 p.m. (ET) at Edmonton (TNT, 106.7 The Fan/Caps Radio 24/7)
March 11, 10 p.m. (ET) at Vancouver (NBCSW+, 106.7 The Fan/Caps Radio 24/7)
Tonight’s Game
The Capitals face the Toronto Maple Leafs at Capital One Arena for the first time this season. This marks the first time the Capitals have played the
Maple Leafs since Oct. 29, 2019, a 4-3 overtime win at Scotiabank Arena. Washington has won three straight games against Toronto, a streak that
began on Feb. 21, 2019, and each of the last three games have been one-goal games. Among active players in the NHL, Alex Ovechkin ranks first in
goals (41g) and points (73) against the Maple Leafs, despite never playing in the same division as Toronto. Ovechkin’s 0.82 goals per game rate against
the Maple Leafs is the highest rate he has against any Eastern Conference team.
Washington Capitals: Media Notes
HOME vs. TORONTO
Record Goals For Goals Against Current Streak
47-23-4-2 272 207
1 WSH win
(10/16/19)
IN THE ZONE
Evgeny Kuznetsov – Two game point streak (2a), two game assist streak (2a)
John Carlson – Points in five of his last seven games (1g, 5a)
Carl Hagelin – Seven points (1g, 6a) in his last nine games
CAPS AMONG LEAGUE LEADERS (through games played Feb. 26)

• Alex Ovechkin is tied for eighth in the NHL in points (63) and fourth in goals (32)
• John Carlson is tied for ninth among defensemen in points (40)
  NOTE OF THE NIGHT
  Osh Babe
• T.J. Oshie returned to the lineup on Feb. 24 against the New York Rangers after missing the previous 14 games due to injury and has a goal in his last
  two games.
• With Oshie in the lineup this season, the Capitals are 12-4-4 this season, good for a .800 points percentage, which equates to 131-points over an 82-
  game season. Additionally, the Capitals hold a record of 6-2-2 when Oshie records a point.
• With 14 points (6g, 8a) in 20 games, Oshie is averaging 0.70 points per game. Should he maintain that pace, it will mark the fourth consecutive season
  with Washington Oshie has recorded a points per game rate of 0.70 or higher.
• Oshie is scoring at a 24-goal pace over an 82-game season.
• Oshie has additionally scored on 18.2% of the shots he’s taken this season (six goals on 33 shots). Over the last four seasons, Oshie ranks third in the
  NHL in shooting percentage (19.0%) among players with 150 games played, only behind Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl (20.1%) and Tampa Bay’s Brayden
  Point (19.1%).
  TOP CAPS FACTS
  Celebrating Black History
• The Capitals will celebrate Black History Night Monday night when they host the Toronto Maple Leafs at Capital One Arena. The evening will honor the
  organization’s history, celebrate Black achievement in hockey and highlight how the Capitals are working to further grow the game in the region.
• Capitals alumnus Bill Riley and his granddaughter Kryshanda Green will participate in a ceremonial puck drop. Riley made his NHL debut with the
  Capitals in 1974, becoming the first Black Nova Scotian to play in the NHL and the third Black player to play in the League. In 125 games with the
  Capitals, Riley recorded 28 goals and 28 assists.
• Green is the former and first Black captain of the Ryerson University Rams women’s hockey team. While at Ryerson, Green broke the all-time points
  and assists records, graduating from Ryerson with a B.A. in politics and governance and currently serves on the NHL’s Youth Hockey Inclusion Council.
• During warmups, Capitals players will wear special black warmup jerseys with a Fort Dupont Ice Hockey Club shoulder patch in honor of the Fort
  Dupont Cannons. The jerseys will be signed and auctioned off along with signed pucks commemorating Black History Month and other items to benefit
  the Capital Impact Fund.
• Additionally, during the game, players will wear special helmet decals featuring Neal Henderson’s likeness in honor of his contributions to hockey. In
  2019, Henderson became the first Black individual to be inducted into the US Hockey Hall of Fame.
  Great 8
• Alex Ovechkin ranks fourth in the NHL with 32 goals this season and tied for eighth in points (63).
• Ovechkin’s most recent goal on Feb. 24 against the New York Rangers pulled him within four goals of matching Jaromir Jagr (766g) for third place on
  the NHL’s all-time goals list.
• With his game on Saturday against the Flyers, Ovechkin passed Sergei Fedorov (1,248) for the third-most games played by a Russian player in NHL
  history. Next on the list is Sergei Gonchar with 1,301 games played.
• The Capitals hold a record of 17-3-4 when Ovechkin scores a goal this season and a 23-8-6 record when he records a point.
• Ovechkin is on pace to record 48 goals this season. If he’s able to reach the 50-goal mark, he will tie Mike Bossy and Wayne Gretzky for the most such
  instances in NHL history (9x). Ovechkin would additionally tie Gretzky for the most 40-goal seasons in NHL history (12).
  CAPITALS vs. MAPLE LEAFS ALL-TIME (CAREER TOTALS)
  Games Goals Assists Points
  Ovechkin (50) Ovechkin (41) Backstrom (36) Ovechkin (73)
  Backstrom (41) Backstrom (9) Ovechkin (32) Backstrom (45)
  Eller (39) Eller (7) Carlson (19) Carlson (24)
  Nice and Kuzy
• Evgeny Kuznetsov has recorded an assist in two-straight games and leads the Capitals with 35 assists.
• This could mark the third time in his career Kuznetsov has led the Capitals in assists in a season (also 2015-16 and 2017-18).
• Kuznetsov is on pace for 53 assists this year, which would be the third-most in a season in his career, the most since his 56 in 2017-18 and the fourth
  time in his career he’d reach the 50-assist mark.
• Since his first time reaching the mark in 2015-16 (career high 57 assists), Kuznetsov’s 292 assists in that span rank 16th among forwards.
• Kuznetsov is one of just 14 players in the NHL with three 50-assists seasons since 2015-16.

Sweet Nicky

• Nicklas Backstrom recorded an assist on Saturday against the Philadelphia Flyers, marking his 15th point of the season (4g, 11a) and the 995th of his
  career (262g, 733a).
• Backstrom is now five points shy of becoming the second player in franchise history to reach the 1,000 point mark, where he would join Alex Ovechkin
  (1,383).
• Since his NHL debut on Oct. 5, 2007, Backstrom would become the fifth player to record 1,000 points during that span, where he will join Ovechkin,
  Sidney Crosby, Patrick Kane and Evgeni Malkin.
• With 733 career assists, Backstrom will have the sixth-most assists by any player who reached the 1,000 point mark in NHL history and will be the only
  active player with at least 733 assists at the milestone.

Super Carly

• John Carlson has recorded points in five of his last seven games (1g, 5a) and is currently tied for ninth in the NHL in points (40) among defensemen.
• Carlson’s five game assist streak came to an end on Thursday against the New York Rangers. He is one of 17 defensemen this season with an assist
  streak of at least five games.
• Among active defensemen, Carlson’s 562 career points are the 11th most. Additionally, his 0.66 points per game rate is tied for fourth among the top20 defensemen in points, only trailing Erik Karlsson (0.79), Kris Letang (0.69), Roman Josi (0.68) and tied with Victor Hedman (0.66).
  Did you Know?
• The Capitals have allowed 28.8 shots per game this season, the third-lowest per game total in the NHL (Los Angeles: 28.3 shots against per game;
  Carolina: 28.7).
  Real Time Leaders
  Goals: Alex Ovechkin, 32
  Assists: Evgeny Kuznetsov, 35
  Points: Alex Ovechkin, 63
  Shots: Alex Ovechkin, 232
  Hits: Garnet Hathaway, 165
  Blocked Shots: Trevor van Riemsdyk,