Capitals vs. Bruins Recap: Caps Continue December to Remember By Besting Boston

Washington arrived in Boston yesterday in advance of tonight’s tilt against a similarly hot Bruins club (4-1-0 in December). Searching for their sixth win in seven contests the Capitals followed excellent performances from Braden Holtby and Alex Chiasson to a 5 to 3 win in Massachusetts.

Here’s Thursday night's Plus/Minus:

Plus: Chiasson recorded his fourth career two goal game to ensure victory for the Capitals in the final frame.

Minus: The Bruins outshot Washington by ten in the second period, 13 to 3.

Ten more notes on the game.

1. Washington began the contest quickly and they were rewarded two minutes into the contest. Christian Djoos got a shot on net where Lars Eller deflected it down before slamming it home.
2. Unfortunately for the Capitals, however, Brett Connolly’s left skate was in the zone ahead of the puck by a full foot. Bruins’ Head Coach Bruce Cassidy challenged Eller’s goal and successfully reversed it, keeping the game scoreless.
3. The Capitals had three power play chances in the first period (the final cut short by a Nicklas Backstrom minor) but couldn’t build any sustained momentum. Both teams traded scoring chances but Holtby had to be exemplary on at least three Boston shots in the first.
4. But before the first intermission Jakub Vrana darted into the offensive zone, burnt Matt Grzelcyk with excessive speed and buried a high, hard shot beyond Anton Khudobin’s blocker for the lead.
5. Early in the second period the Bruins cashed in on their second man advantage of the evening. Brad Marchand served the puck to Patrice Bergeron in the slot and he made no mistake with his shot to knot the score at one.
6. Boston would take the game’s next penalty, however, and Washington’s top two centers would connect to regain the lead. Evgeny Kuznetsov fired a sharp pass from the right wall that Backstrom simply redirected home just beyond the reach of Khudobin’s right skate.
7. Washington would extend their lead to two with twelve minutes to play thanks to a Chiasson tally. Djoos walked the puck in from the blue line and made a nice pass to Chiasson who forced it home from five feet.
8. Chiasson wasn’t done though, as he notched a shorthanded breakaway goal a few minutes later to put the contest out of Boston’s reach. The pair of third period tallies give Chiasson six on the season.
9. David Krejci, Alex Ovechkin (ENG), and Bergeron would tally in the final minutes of the contest after the game’s structure collapsed late.
10. Holtby would end the night with 34 saves for another victory in Boston.