Capitals Beat Maple Leafs in Game 1 Behind Tom Wilson's OT Goal

The Washington Capitals rallied from a 2-0 deficit Thursday night to defeat the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 in overtime at Verizon Center behind a game-winning goal from Tom Wilson. 

Washington, the Eastern Conference's No. 1 overall seed, now owns a 1-0 series lead.                  

The Capitals fell behind 2-0 within the game's first 10 minutes, but a power-play goal from Justin Williams midway through the opening frame brought them back within striking distance. 

Williams, then, answered the bell with four minutes to go in the second period when he poked home a loose puck that got away from Leafs goalie Frederik Andersen: 

That tally opened the door for the Capitals to snatch a win, and they did just that when Wilson ripped a shot from the sideboards past Andersen to enter some uncharted territory, according to the NHL's public relations department: 

Sportsnet Stats noted that the Caps are now in a groove when it comes to pulling out games that require an extra session: 

Sports Illustrated's Michael Blinn also pointed out that Wilson joined a rapidly expanding club that's formed since the start of the postseason Wednesday night: 

Washington will now turn its attention to Game 2, which is scheduled for Saturday night (7 p.m. ET, NBCSN) at Verizon Center. 

If the Capitals can cling to home-ice advantage and take a 2-0 lead, they'll be on track to exorcise some postseason demons as they seek to parlay their status as owners of the Presidents' Trophy and make a run toward the Stanley Cup Final. 

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