Tom Wilson: Capitals, Leafs 'probably a rivalry now'

Last year was only the beginning of a budding rivalry between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Washington Capitals.

And at least one player wants to see the clash reach the next level.

"It was fun to come home and kind of play the villain," Capitals winger and Toronto native Tom Wilson told reporters Wednesday. "It will be a fresh start now though. They are going to have another good team and hopefully that rivalry can continue because it was a pretty exciting series."

Lining up in the first round of last year's playoffs, the series matched the Presidents' Trophy-winning Capitals against the eighth-seed Maple Leafs. But the meeting wasn't nearly as lopsided as the teams' regular seasons finishes, as the series extended six games and all but one contest required overtime.

"A series like that is what creates rivalries. There's a lot of emotion, a lot of speed, a lot of skill. They're only going to get better, and keep pushing us to get better. It's probably a rivalry now," said Wilson, who notched three goals in the series, including the overtime winner in Game 1.

While there is no telling if the series will renew next spring, the Maple Leafs and Capitals will at least have a memorable match on the calendar this season. The two sides are set to link up on March 3 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Md. in the 2018 Stadium Series.

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