Washington Post · Mar 3, 2016
In Brooks Laich’s return, it’s the Capitals who turn a new Leaf
Matt Niskanen and Alex Ovechkin celebrate Niskanen’s third-period goal, his second in as many nights, to lift the Capitals over the Maple Leafs, 3-2. (Alex Brandon/Associated Press)Verizon Center got any sentimentality out of the way early. It bid farewell to Brooks Laich and said hello to Daniel Winnik, and when that was over, there was a hockey game between one team in first place and one in last.
The Washington Capitals’ 3-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs was at once the end of one chapter and the beginning of another. Playing against their former longtime teammate, the Capitals’ new-look roster was together for the first time.