Washington Capitals vs. Toronto Maple Leafs and Rangers vs. Flyers recap

Washington Capitals 5-2 Toronto Maple Leafs

The Washington Capitals delivered a convincing win against the Toronto Maple Leafs, who were leading the Eastern Conference at the time.

Alexander Ovechkin logged 18 minutes on the ice but did not standout with standout moves. His goal-scoring chase remains aimed at reaching Gordie Howe’s 801 regular-season goals and Wayne Gretzky’s all-time record of 894, though in the previous meeting he managed only two shots on goal.

Still, the Caps showed strength in other areas: the Great Eight delivered six hits, one of which would long be remembered by Toronto fans.

Ovechkin delivered a powerful check on Canadian defenseman Conor Timmins, sending Timmins over the boards and into the bench in a startling sequence. The arena erupted in a roar, with the captain directing a pointed acknowledgement toward his team and the crowd.

Toronto did not back down. Striker Alexander Kerfoot soon collided with Ovechkin’s leg from behind, triggering a brief altercation and earning Kerfoot a two-minute penalty.

Ovechkin did not escalate the incident, and the teams settled into a measured exchange. The milestone for the Great Eight did not come from his stick, as this game marked his 1307th NHL appearance, moving him past Swedish great Daniel Sedin and into 64th place on the all-time games list.

The all-time record for games belongs to Canadian Patrick Marleau, who reached 1779 games. Meanwhile, Swedish defenseman Eric Gustafsson stood out for Washington, scoring a hat trick despite not finding the back of the net this season prior to this game. He became the third Capitals defenseman to notch three goals in a single game, a feat last achieved by Kevin Hatcher in 1993 and Sergey Gonchar in 2000.

As a true captain, Ovechkin celebrated Gustafsson’s achievement with a loud, communal shout of approval from the arena, and he urged fans to honor the moment by tossing hats onto the ice—a nod to a long-standing hockey tradition.

Even without Russian involvement, Washington still faced resistance. Evgeny Kuznetsov, inserted in the third line, assisted Gustafsson twice, helping to complete a historic performance.

On Gustafsson’s first goal, Kuznetsov scooped the puck from the right faceoff circle and fed it to the far post, where a free Gustafsson buried it in the near corner to extend Washington’s lead to 3-1 over Toronto.

Kuznetsov then delivered a precise pass into the left circle for Gustafsson, who hit the crossbar and completed a hat trick. That sequence effectively sealed the outcome at 5-2.

Additionally, Russian defenseman Dmitry Orlov contributed offensively with two shots on goal and a key power-play opportunity.

With the victory, Washington climbed to 36 points, edging into ninth place in the Eastern Conference and closing the gap toward the playoff picture. Toronto sat in third with 44 points.

Philadelphia Flyers – New York Rangers – 3:6

The New York Rangers extended their winning streak to six games, with Artemi Panarin playing a central role in the offense.

Early on, Khlebusheshka, a Russian nickname used for Panarin, delivered the equalizing tally after Philadelphia had taken the lead in the seventh minute of play.

Canadian forward Barkley Goodrow threaded a superb pass from the left wing to the far post, and Panarin deftly avoided defenders to finish the move (1:1).

Moments later Panarin contributed to the Rangers’ third goal, combining with Mika Zibanejad on a give-and-go that ended with Goodrow beating the goalie on a one-on-one finish, restoring a comfortable advantage (3:1).

The play was officially recorded as a minor assist for Panarin, underscoring his ongoing value to the team. At this point Panarin had accumulated 30 assists on the season, a mark reached by only a handful of players in the league.

In the pursuit of league-wide leaders, Nikita Kucherov led with 35 assists, followed by Connor McDavid with 34 and Leon Draisaitl with 33.

Panarin also aided in a notable league record for most assists by a left winger over the eight seasons since their NHL debut, with Khlebushushka registering assist number 412. This milestone placed him ahead of established benchmarks over the years, including comparisons to other scoring legends. Canada tallied 411 assists across 640 games historically, while Panarin needed 540 assists to match that pace locally, a testament to his sustained playmaking ability.

By the end, the Rangers had climbed to seventh in the Eastern Conference with 39 points, while Philadelphia dropped to 15th out of 16 teams with 27 points.