Leafs’ challenge vs. Caps goes way beyond Alex Ovechkin
TORONTO — William Nylander recalls being a kid, hanging around his father’s NHL team, the Washington Capitals. But only faint memories remain.
There were the times Nicklas Backstrom — “one of the best passers in the league” — came by for dinner.
And there was The Shot, a weapon that has helped Alex Ovechkin score 176 more regular-season goals than anyone since his noisy entrance into the NHL in 2005.
“His shot is amazing,” says Nylander, the Maple Leafs rookie winger who will face his father Michael’s old squad in a first-round playoff series, which kicks off Thursday in Washington.