Alex Ovechkin discloses his favorite part about Auston Matthews' game, speaks on Leafs forward's 70-goal race

Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin has spoken about his favorite part of Auston Matthews' game.

The Caps on Wednesday suffered a rushing 4-3 defeat to the Maple Leafs at home in Capitals One Arena. Matthews continued with his impressive form, collecting two points.

Auston Matthews leads the league with 57 goals and is 13 strikes shy of reaching the 70-goal landmark. Alex Ovechkin highlighted Matthews' exceptional shot and stick-handling skills, which are impressive aspects of his playing style.

Ovi also wished for Matthews to reach the 70-goal mark:

"Obviously, great shot and stick handling. Like I said it's fun to watch and I hope he is gonna get it."

"It’s great,” said Ovechkin. “I’m happy for him. Hope he gets it, maybe 70. You never know. He’s a special player. It’s fun to watch. “So, I’m cheering for him. He’s a fun player to watch, and the fans are going to like when he’s going to get 70."

Meanwhile, Alex Ovechkin scored two goals against the Leafs on Thursday. With that, the "Great Eight" reached 23 goals for the season, his 19th consecutive 20-goal campaign. He's now 49 short of breaking Wayne Gretzky's 894-goal record.

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Auston Matthews powers Maple Leafs to dominant win over Capitals

On Wednesday, the Capitals hosted the Maple Leafs at Capital One Arena but lost resoundingly.

Auston Matthews opened the scoring for the Maple Leafs after giving them a 1-0 lead 16 seconds into the first period, which was the only goal scored in the period.

Just 56 seconds into the second period, William Nylander extended the Leafs' advantage. Alex Ovechkin then cut the visitors' lead to 2-1 after scoring on the powerplay. Three minutes later, Matthews restored the hosts' lead to 3-2 before Connor McMichael cut it back to 3-2.

With less than a minute remaining before the third period, Jake McCabe made it 4-2 for the Leafs. Ovechkin was the only scorer for the Capitals in the third period, making it 4-3 at 6:42. Goals from McCann, Tyler Bertuzzi and John Tavares propelled the Leafs to a 7-3 win.

Auston Matthews accumulated five points, while Domi contributed four points in the Maple Leafs' win. Nylander and Tavares collected three points apiece, while Joseph Woll made 21 saves with an SV% of .857.

The Maple Leafs face the Washington Capitals again on Friday.