The Maple Leafs’ dream season is over.Marcus Johansson scored to force overtime, and then the series winner in OT, as the Washington Capitals advanced to the second round with a 2-1 win Sunday night over the Maple Leafs, eliminating the plucky, young Toronto team in six games.There wasn’t much separating the teams despite a regular season that saw Washington finish first overall with 118 points and the Leafs finish as the lowest seed in the Eastern conference with 95. It was the fifth time this series that a game went to overtime. All six games were decided by one goal.Auston Matthews had given the Leafs a 1-0 lead midway through the third period, and for a while it looked like he might help coach Mike Babcock make good on the promise he made to the folks at the Verizon Center that the Leafs would return for Game 7.Johansson, with a goal at 12:51 of the third period, forced overtime.The Capitals came into the series known as playoff chokers. This time, Washington coach Barry Trotz wanted to send the Maple Leafs over a cliff when his Capitals had a chance. They did. With the win, they are 6-15 in games in which they had the chance to eliminate an opponent since 2007-08.It was the 18th overtime of the opening round, an NHL record. The league had 17 overtimes four years ago. The last time Toronto played five overtimes in a series was 1951, when Bill Barilko’s overtime winner won the Leafs the Stanley Cup.It was an amped up Air Canada Centre crowd — bolstered by a feverish crowd at Maple Leaf Square and even an appearance by Justin Bieber. They chanted “Fred-die!” with every big save by Frederik Andersen. They tried to bet on Braden Holtby. They chanted “Go Leafs Go.”They did their part.“It’s been a lot of fun,” Marner said of the experience. “It’s been real exciting. Obviously, we don’t get to see Maple Leaf Square but we see the reactions of it after. It’s been ...
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