It was an eventful evening in the NHL on Wednesday night with a host of the best sides in the divisions in action. The Toronto Maple Leafs travelled to the San Jose Sharks looking for another win, while the Washington Capitals were in action against the second-placed side in the Metropolitan Division. But, which sides were able to record wins in their games?
Flyers Run Continues
The Philadelphia Flyers against the Washington Capitals was the pick of the games on Wednesday evening, as the top two went head-to-head. The Flyers went into the game having won their last six, which was the best winning run in the NHL at present. The Capitals held the advantage at the top of the standings, but they will no longer be as confident that they will be staying there after a 5-2 defeat.
Philadelphia were in excellent form on the road and did much of their damage in the second period as they scored three goals. They compounded the Capitals to the defeat with two further goals in the final period, as the gap between the top two now stands at just one point.
Kevin Hayes, Ivan Provorov, Travis Konecny, Scott Laughton and Tyler Pitlick scored the goals in the win for the Flyers. Meanwhile, Lars Eller and Garnet Hathaway scored in the defeat for the Capitals. The Flyers can make it eight wins on the bounce when they play against the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday evening.
Leafs Heavily Beaten
The Toronto Maple Leafs’ winning run of three games was also ended on Wednesday night as they were well beaten by the San Jose Sharks on the road. San Jose dominated from the very first period in the 5-2 success, as they scored the opening goal in the first. However, the Leafs hit back and went into the final period level at 2-2.
Toronto couldn’t sustain the pressure in the final period, as the Sharks scored three unanswered goals to record the 5-2 win. The Leafs would have been disappointed with their performance in the final period, as they would have felt that they had a good chance of getting the win after being even. Evander Kane scored twice for the Sharks, while there were also goals for Stefan Noesen, Antti Suomela and Radim Simek.
The Toronto goals were scored by Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner. The victory didn’t do enough for the Sharks as they remain in sixth in the Pacific Division, and have no chance of making the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Leafs remain in third position in the Atlantic Division, as they are working hard to achieve their finish in the playoff picture.
The Leafs have however won five and lost five in their last ten, which means they are struggling for the consistency they need. They could get back to winning ways when they face off against the LA Kings on Thursday. Meanwhile, the Sharks play against the Minnesota Wild on Thursday.
