The game looked out of reach for the Maple Leafs, but three third period goals and a dominant shootout performance from Jonas Gustavsson earned Toronto a victory. And the Capitals have now lost back-to-back games at home for the first time all season. It was the Leafs' second shootout victory in two nights.
Mikhail Grabovski started the comeback, and would ultimately end it as well. Grabovski made the young defensive pairing of Karl Alzner and John Carlson look bad for the second time tonight, skating in and beating Michal Neuvirth. With under three miniutes remaining, Tim Brent tipped in a shot from Tomas Kaberle to make it a one-goal game. And then, with under two minutes remaining in regulation and Gustavsson on the bench in favor of an extra skater, Toronto made Washington pay for its lackluster third period performance. Grabovski found Clarke MacArthur on the doorstep and the game was tied and heading for overtime.
After a scoreless overtime period, the Capitals couldn't find the net in the shootout. Their best chance came most obviously from the stick of Matthieu Perreault. The young forward looked to have Gustavsson beat, but the goaltender made a stick save at the last moment just as it appeared that the puck was about to cross the line.
It was Grabovski of the Maple Leafs though who did what the Capitals couldn't. He scored an impressive shootout goal, doing a complete 180 degree spin in front of the crease and using a backhand shot to beat Neuvirth for the lone goal.