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.
The @AnaheimDucks extended their point streak to 14 games (12-0-2), two shy of the longest such run in club history set in 2006-07 (12-0-4)
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) March 8, 2016
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.
.@kbieksa3: "It was a good game. We played against the best team in the East and played well. Sometimes, you need to tip your cap."
— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) March 8, 2016
The teams will face off one more time in each's regular-season finale, where further playoff speculation is sure to escalate.
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Arizona Coyotes defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson left Monday's game against the Colorado Avalanche early in the third period and did not return after suffering an upper-body injury.
Head coach Dave Tippett addressed the media postgame, saying that the 24-year-old blue-liner is day to day.
Ekman-Larsson sits sixth in scoring among defenseman with 19 goals and 49 points.
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Semyon Varlamov wants to make Patrick Roy happy.
After the Colorado Avalanche netminder was called out by his head coach asking him to "step it up," Varlamov cashed in a gutsy effort on Monday, turning away 37 of 38 shots and backstopping his team to a 3-1 win over the Arizona Coyotes.
The win came in just Varlamov's second game of the month after he was chased against the Minnesota Wild after conceding three goals on 12 shots.
Monday's victory was Varlamov's first since a 3-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens on Feb. 17. He had gone winless in his three prior starts.
The 27-year-old now boasts a 22-17-3 record in 44 games this season.
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The Toronto Maple Leafs squandered a two-goal lead en route to a 4-3 shootout loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Monday, but none of the team's rookies could be faulted for the defeat.
Head coach Mike Babcock addressed the media after yet another one-goal loss, where he pointed out that it was the team's experienced players and not the youngsters who had contributed to the loss.
"It wasn't our kids that made mistakes tonight," said Babcock. "It was two guys we count on big time there in the third period that cost us."
Babcock praises Soshnikov, Hyman; notes learning curve steeper for Nylander bc he plays C; points out vets made mistakes that cost TOR game
— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) March 8, 2016
On the flip side, Babcock was pleased with his rookies and showed particular appreciation for the strong play of Nikita Soshnikov and Zach Hyman, the former of which collected his first NHL goal in the loss.
Babcock presser
— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) March 8, 2016
on Soshnikov: "Every team is mad at him every night. I like that a lot"
on Hyman: "Really good player. He just keeps going."
The Maple Leafs have now dropped five straight one-goal games and six games overall with just one point out of a possible 12.
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