Washington Capitals

In the end, it doesn't mean much, and it won't mean anything in postseason play. But the Caps are facing an interesting question.

Why do they have so much trouble in the shootout?

Maybe they'll have to do it again in Monday's game against the Senators or maybe they won't see it again for a month. But the Caps really seem to struggle in shootouts.

It's the one area that superstar Alex Ovechkin has trouble with. He fired a shot over the crossbar in the second round of the shootout Saturday, and that opened the door for the Leafs to clinch it in the third round, which they did.

Ovechkin hasn't been ineffective in the shootouts, but like the whole Caps team, he's been close. When the Caps won the shootout against the Rangers earlier this month, they scored just two goals in 11 rounds.

Players who make good one-on-one moves seem to do the best, guys like Alexander Semin. The Caps need to get better in this area -- especially Ovechkin.

   MAPLE LEAFS 2, CAPS 1 (SO): Goalie Semyon Varlamov made 38 saves on a night when the Caps needed him to come up big. Varlamov showed his athleticism several times with key stops to keep the Caps ahead for a long time and then force overtime. The only problem came in the shootout, when Varlamov gave up two goals on three shots. But the Caps did get one point.

• G Jose Theodore was back on the bench, serving as a backup to Semyon Varlamov. The Caps said later he wasn't physically ready to start, but he was there as the backup. He's been dealing with personal issues in recent days.

• The Caps did a good job of blocking shots in this game. They blocked 24 shots—something that proved crucial on a night when they allowed 39 shots on goal as the Maple Leafs kept the pressure on goalie Semyon Varlamov and the defense.

Quote To Note:

"We gutted it out a little bit. We looked pretty tired. I thought tonight we were lucky to come away with one point, and it was a good point."

—Caps coach Bruce Boudreau.

   GOALTENDERS: Semyon Varlamov, Jose Theodore

   DEFENSEMEN: Tyler Sloan, John Erskine, Mike Green, Brian Pothier, John Carlson, Jeff Schultz

   FIRST LINE: Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Brooks Laich

   SECOND LINE: Tomas Fleischmann, Brendan Morrison, Andrew Gordon

   THIRD LINE: Chris Clark, Mathieu Perrault, Eric Fehr

   FOURTH LINE: David Steckel, Jay Beagle, Matt Bradley

Player Notes:

• LW Alex Ovechkin scored the team's only goal of the night. His first-period goal was all the Caps could do on this night, a game where they missed seven players due to injury and lost to one of the league's worst teams. Ovechkin finished with six shots on goal.

• D Mike Green continued his recent hot streak with another assist. He's got 20 assists already this season. He's posted five helpers in the last three games, something the Caps badly need during this injury-filled time.

• Green was a true warrior in this game, blocking four shots and playing an astounding 31:38. Coach Bruce Boudreau loves to lean on Green for loads of ice time because when he's at his best, Green is one of the NHL's top defensemen.

Medical Watch:

• RW Alexander Semin (wrist) is definitely out for the weekend and will be re-evaluated after that.

• RW Mike Knuble (broken finger) had surgery last Saturday and is out for three to four weeks, likely returning in mid-December.

• D Milan Jurcina (lower body injury, muscle pull or strain) was placed on IR.

• RW Boyd Gordon (back) was out again after aggravating his old injury last weekend and is considered day-to-day.

• D Tom Poti (upper body) and is day-to-day.

• D Shaone Morrisonn (upper body, apparently concussion) missed the game and is day-to-day.

• LW Quintin Laing (broken jaw, surgery) will out until mid-December or later, a total of 4-6 weeks overall.