Maple Leafs at Capitals
The Toronto Maple Leafs are going through their worst stretch of the season - and there's one player on the Washington Capitals who would love nothing more than to extend their misery. Mikhail Grabovski faces his former team for the second time since being released prior to the season as his Capitals host struggling Toronto on Friday night. The Maple Leafs dropped a 6-1 decision to Carolina on Thursday and have been outscored 18-5 in their last three games.
While Toronto continues to plummet down the Eastern Conference standings, the Capitals managed to halt their slide with a 4-3 victory over Tampa Bay. Eric Fehr was the hero, scoring his second goal of the night with less than a minute remaining as Washington won for the first time in five games. The Capitals will be looking for more from captain Alex Ovechkin, who continues to lead the NHL with 31 goals but has just one in his last seven games.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, LTV (Toronto), CSN-DC+ (Washington)
ABOUT THE MAPLE LEAFS (21-19-5): The acquisition of Jonathan Bernier in the offseason was designed to give Toronto the kind of 1-2 goaltending punch needed to compete for the Stanley Cup. Instead, both Bernier and incumbent James Reimer have gone ice-cold as the Maple Leafs find themselves in danger of slipping out the top-eight in the conference. Bernier has surrendered nine goals on 56 shots over back-to-back appearances, while Reimer has allowed 11 goals on just 66 shots spanning his previous three outings.
ABOUT THE CAPITALS (21-16-6): Toronto considered Grabovski to be too rich to keep so they bought out the final four years of his contract at $5.5 million per season. The 29-year-old has proven his worth since signing on with the Capitals, racking up 12 goals and 19 assists through 41 games - a point total that would rank him tied for second on the Maple Leafs in scoring. Grabovski finds himself third on his current team in points, trailing only playmaker Nicklas Backstrom (48) and Ovechkin (43).
OVERTIME
1. The Maple Leafs prevailed 2-1 in a shootout in their previous meeting Nov. 23.
2. Grabovski is scoreless in three career games versus the Maple Leafs.
3. Toronto has lost five straight road games against teams with winning home records.