2017 Round 1 Washington
The Washington Capitals earned the Presidents’ Trophy for the second consecutive year as the NHL’s best regular season team this time with 118 points. The Toronto Maple Leafs finished much further down the list, squeaking into the playoffs with 95 points as the second wild and last wild car. No one gave the Leafs much of a hope.
The series became only the third playoff series in NHL history in which five games were decided in overtime.
In game 1, Toronto had a two-goal lead in the first ten minutes of the first game. Washington went on to tie the game and won 3–2 in overtime from Tom Wilson‘s goal.
In game 2, rookie Kasperi Kapanen scored twice including the game-winner in double-overtime leading the Maple Leafs to a 4–3 victory.
Washington took two two-goal leads in game three; the first pick in the 2016 NHL Draft, Auston Matthews, helped soften the lead with his first playoff goal, but after the Capitals got a 3–1 lead, the Maple Leafs scored twice to tie the game. Then in overtime, Tyler Bozak tipped a shot past the Capitals’ goaltender to give the Leafs a 2–1 series lead.
Game four was the only game of the series not to go into overtime; Tom Wilson and T. J. Oshie both scored two goals and Oshie’s second goal proved to be the game-winner in a 5–4 victory after an attempted comeback by Toronto was thwarted.
Game five featured the fourth overtime game of this series with Justin Williams scoring for Capitals in a 2–1, taking a 3–2 series lead in the process.
In game six, the game went to overtime for the fifth time this series and at 6:31 of the first overtime period Marcus Johansson scored his second goal for the Capitals in a 2–1 victory and another trip to the second round.