In what can only be another cruel twist of fate for the Toronto Maple Leafs this season, a castaway put on one heck of a performance, stopping the NHL's best team, the Colorado Avalanche. On Wednesday night, former Maple Leafs PTO invitee James Reimer stymied the Colorado Avalanche en route to a 5-2 win. Reimer, now a member of the Ottawa Senators, stopped 16 shots in what was arguably one of the worst showings for the Avalanche this season.
For two periods this afternoon, the Capitals actually hung with the league-leading Avalanche - largely thanks to a stand-up performance by Charlie Lindgren. That was the case really until Artturi Lehkonen's goal late in the third, when it became clear that the Caps just didn't have the firepower to match Colorado punch for punch. Plus: They won a goalie interference challenge for the first time since color TV was invented.
They're very good at home. Obviously, if you just look at their record, it is a great team over there. They have some really high-end players. We all know that. They play a very fast game. Their defensemen are very active. They skate really well; it's a good skating team over there, and their top line is very dangerous. We know that. MacKinnon is a great player.
