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.
After a third-period goal from Toronto’s Colin Greening tied the contest at two, Washington turned to its special teams to pull ahead.