By: Chad Jones | Follow me on Twitter/X @ShutUpChadJones
Wednesday night, during their fifth preseason game, the Boston Bruins beat the Washington Capitals 3-1. Bruins Head Coach Marco Sturm has been victorious in all three preseason road contests.
First Period
The Capitals got the scoring started in this one. A nice passing sequence between Hendrix Lapierre and Jakob Chychrun ended with the defenseman firing a chance near Joonas Korpisalo. Ryan Leonard out-muscled Victor Soderstrom in front of the net and banged in the opportunity to give Washington the 1-0 lead near the halfway point of the frame.
Korpisalo was busy during the opening 20 minutes. He was credited with 15 saves and stymied Washington on their lone power play opportunity. The Bruins’ goaltender kept Boston in the game, as the Black and Gold only mustered five shots on net and went into the first period trailing 1-0.
Second Period
Both teams failed to take advantage of a five-on-four early in the frame. Korpisalo remained firm between the pipes, doing a terrific job of moving side to side in the crease. The netminder was locked in as the Bruins searched for the equalizer.
Boston was much more effective at winning puck battles along the wall and generating chances this period. The Bruins broke the seal with under four minutes left in the frame. Washington’s goaltender, Charlie Lindgren, could not control a long dump-in. Riley Tufte poked the loose puck home while out-battling Vincent Iorio.
With less than a minute left in the period, Brett Harrison made an impressive net drive. The forward won inside ice against Martin Fehervary and shoveled an attempt forward. The puck then deflected off Iorio’s skate and in. Boston took a 2-1 lead heading into the final frame.
Third Period
In the final 20 minutes, Korpisalo continued to stand on his head. Playing behind many young skaters and players battling for roster spots, he was calm and effective between the pipes.
Over the halfway point in the third, Fabian Lysell took an ill-advised tripping penalty in Washington’s defensive zone. But Korpisalo and the Bruins’ penalty killers found a way to dig deep and keep the puck out of their net.
Boston did a phenomenal job closing out the contest to secure the 3-1 victory. They spent a lot of time with the puck, and Harrison put the game on ice by potting an empty netter, his second tally of the night. Korpisalo put together a terrific performance, stopping 33 of 34 Capitals’ shots.
The Bruins will wrap up their preseason by hosting the New York Rangers Saturday afternoon at TD Garden. It will be interesting to see how Sturm handles Boston’s last exhibition game. David Pastrnak, Charlie McAvoy, and Jeremy Swayman could benefit from one more tune-up performance.
Boston will then have three days off before returning to the Nation’s Capital. The Bruins will take on Washington on Wednesday night to open the 2025-2026 regular season. Boston will be back on TD Garden’s ice the next night for their home opener against the Chicago Blackhawks.
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