It was a successful night off for the good guys as both teams ahead of them faltered. Tonight, the Leafs are in Washington and someone special was on the trip. Kaberle won't be in the lineup tonight but he could be the extra emotional kick that makes the Leafs show up for a big, late-season game in Montreal. The Capitals are on a 9 game losing streak and are coming off a tough loss to Sym's Bruins in which they coughed up a 3-0 lead before falling in a shootout.
Andrew Raycroft will be looking to take one more step towards the Leafs' single-season record for goaltender wins (37). He currently stands at 32 wins with 4 coming via shootout so technically 28 but if the Leafs are going to make the playoffs he'll have to break it either way.
With the return of some of the players from the injury list Paul Maurice is no longer handcuffed by his lineup and he has the flexibility to juggle his team in order to produce the best results. The last two games have featured dominant performances and that should continue tonight. Update: Of course, after mentioning the team's new found flexibility they will have to use it as John Pohl and Wade Belak will be stepping in for Kyle Wellwood and Carlo Colaiacovo. Welly will be back on Saturday and Carlo is questionable.
Other big games tonight include:
Montreal @ Pittsburgh - Sid the Kid gets revenge on Aaron Downey for calling him a diver by pushing the Habs one step closer to total meltdown.
NYR @ Atlanta - The Thrashers are coming off an embarrassing loss to the Flyers. A win would hold off the Lightning and be great for the Leafs.
Buffalo @ TB - The Buffaslugs travel to the good Florida team's rink looking to keep the senators at bay.
DJ has a new predicted standings up and the Leafs are tied for 8th.
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