By: Andrew Bluestein | Follow Me On Twitter / X @adbblue
The Boston Bruins were shutout, losing 2-0 to the Washington Capitals Monday night at Capital One Arena. A desperate Capitals team came to play as their playoff lives were on the line, fighting for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
In the first two periods, the Bruins only registered a combined eight shots and had a hard time offensively. When they did produce chances, Capitals goaltender Charlie Lindgren stood tall and gave Boston nothing to shoot at.
First Period
Washington controlled the game for the first few minutes and registered the first four shots on goal. The Bruins didn’t record their first shot until past the halfway point of the period with 8:26 to go. Washington struck first on a John Carlson slap shot from the point that got by a screened Swayman to make it 1-0. Boston had a hard time creating offense as the Capitals played them tight.
The Bruins had their best chance of the opening frame on a John Beecher bid down low, but Charlie Lindgren got his pad on it. The Capitals had one final chance right before the horn, but Jeremy Swayman made an impressive pad save to keep his team only down one goal. Washington had the edge in shots on goal 7-4.
Second Period
The Capitals continued right where they left off, generating multiple chances, but Swayman bailed out the Black and Gold with some big-time stops. Pavel Zacha had a golden opportunity after the puck bounced off the kick blade and onto his stick, but he couldn’t sneak it past the near-side post. The Bruins had another chance this time off the rush with Jakub Lauko as the trailer, but Lindgren stonewalled him.
Boston was sloppy, giving the puck away multiple times, which led to high-danger chances. Swayman again had to bail his team out, denying Tom Wilson on a two-on-one. The ice was heavily tilted in Washington’s favor, and they were far more invested in the game. Boston only registered four shots on goal again, and Washington had the advantage 15-4.
Third Period
Finally, the Bruins started to find a rhythm at the beginning of the third. They accumulated some attacking zone time but had that put to a halt when Kevin Shattenkirk was called for the game’s first penalty. Washington had a few good looks, but Boston kept the majority of their man advantage to the perimeter, and Swayman held down the fort as well, keeping the home team off the board. Hampus Lindholm nearly evened the scoring after having a great chance on an awkward rebound near the front of the net, but the puck did not cooperate with the defenseman.
Charlie McAvoy looked to knot the game after cutting through the middle and whipping a shot on Lindgren, but he absorbed it. Head coach Jim Montgomery pulled Swayman for the extra attacker with just under 3:00 left in the game. The Bruins had a few opportunities, including a net mouth scramble, but with 0:11 left, Nick Dowd scored on an empty net to give the Capitals a 2-0 lead, which was the final score.
Up Next
Next, the Bruins will close out the regular season at TD Garden when they host the Ottawa Senators in game two of a back-to-back. The puck will drop at 7:00 p.m., marking the third game of the season series. The Bruins won the first game 3-2 in overtime and the second 6-2.
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