It was the perfect test.

The Anaheim Ducks had won a record 11 in a row. They'd flown (sorry) to the top of the Pacific Division. And they welcomed the NHL-best Washington Capitals to town on Monday.

The teams played an entertaining and tightly contested game at five-on-five.

And though it took a shootout for the Capitals to end the Ducks' run, Anaheim head coach Bruce Boudreau was impressed by what he saw from the presumptive Stanley Cup favorites, who now have 102 points.

"I don't think skill for skill we can match those guys in the middle of the ice," Boudreau said, according to Agence France-Presse's Greg Heakes.

That's probably not what you want to hear as a player, but Boudreau knows it takes a lot more than skill to win a Stanley Cup.

He also lamented his team's inability to score on a four-on-one rush, which would have given the Ducks the win.

"You got to make hay with those golden opportunities," Boudreau said.

"It's tough to keep winning," he added, according to The Orange County Register's Jeff Miller. "But our execution wasn't what I thought it should be tonight. Maybe they had a lot to do with that. They're a good hockey club."

If you thought an 11-game winning streak, and points in 14 straight, would satisfy Boudreau, you're wrong.

"It's great that we got a point and all that, but I just think we're winning right now but we're not playing as good as we can. We've got to get back to that."

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Dion Phaneuf's keeping his letter.

Acquired from Toronto in arguably the NHL's most surprising trade this season, the Ottawa Senators defenseman and former Maple Leafs captain will be keeping the "A" he's worn on his jersey over the last two games, head coach Dave Cameron said.

After assistant captain Kyle Turris went down to injury, defenseman Matt Borowiecki took the letter. Borowiecki was lost last week to a torn MCL, and Phaneuf had the "A" in his return to Toronto on Saturday for the first time since the trade.

"You put it on somebody that is a leader. I knew what he was as a player," Cameron said, according to the Ottawa Sun's Bruce Garrioch. "I didn't know his personality because I've never spent any time with him."

Cameron's been impressed with Phaneuf in a short time.

"The pleasant surprise for me is his personality. He's here, he comes into the rink every day and you know he's happy to be in the NHL. He has energy, he's engaging, he talks. There's no moping, and that's been missing somewhat with our young team as we've been bouncing up and down. This guy comes in every day, does his work, does it in good humor and brings other guys along."

Phaneuf has a goal and six assists in 13 games with the Senators, while averaging almost 24 minutes of ice time. He has a 49.1 Corsi For rating, down from 52.1 with Toronto, according to Hockey Reference.

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Washington Capitals needed a shootout to get by the Anaheim Ducks in a sneak peek of what could be this season's Stanley Cup Final on Monday.

Nicklas Backstrom had the shootout winner, while Braden Holtby turned away two of three shooters as the Capitals extinguished the Ducks 11-game win streak.

John Gibson was nearly perfect turning away 31 of 32 shots in a losing effort. The loss snapped his four-game win-streak.

Meanwhile in the Capitals' crease, Holtby collected win No. 41 on the season, matching a franchise record shared with Olaf Kolzig who did so during the 1999-00 season.

The teams will face off one more time in each's regular-season finale, where further playoff speculation is sure to escalate.

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.