| Boston Bruins vs Washington Capitals | ||||
| Team | P1 | P2 | P3 | Total |
 Boston Bruins | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
 Washington Capitals | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Current Status: Final | ||||
Plus: Despite not scoring in the first period, which included just under two minutes of power play time at the end, the Washington Capitals looked great to start the game. They outshot the Boston Bruins 14-4 and, if it weren’t for some unreal saves from Jeremy Swayman, they probably would have been up a goal or two. Getting a good start, especially against one of the best teams in the league, was always going to be key for the Caps coming into today’s game. They couldn’t convert a stellar first period against the Panthers into a win on Thursday, but they did it today.
Minus: The Capitals were playing with fire today with the penalties they were taking, particularly in the third period when they took three minor penalties while trying to hold onto a two-goal lead. One of those, Alex Ovechkin’s hooking penalty, was with just under three minutes to go. Thankfully, the Bruins looked even less interested in playing today than the Caps looked in staying out of the box.
Key Moment: Matt Grzelcyk was called for a spearing major and game misconduct on Max Pacioretty with 1:47 left in the first, after the Capitals had already controlled play for 95% of the period. Getting a goal here felt pretty important for Washington, both to get on the board first and to keep the momentum going. They didn’t score before the first period came to an end, but TJ Oshie found the back of the net just 1:05 into the second. The Caps couldn’t convert on the 2:09 left on the power play after Oshie’s goal, but they still kept pressure on the Bruins.
Caps Player of the Game: Dylan Strome scored his team-leading 20th goal of the season to put the Caps up 2-1 in the third and made a strong case for himself, but today the honor has to go to TJ Oshie. He scored his 299th career goal to put his team on the board first, and then he recorded an assist on Strome’s goal for his second multi-point effort of the season.
Honorable mention: Max Pacioretty, because he got speared in a very uncomfortable place but came back and set up the game-opening goal with a beautiful assist.
Final Thoughts: While it’s certainly true that the Bruins were not at their best this afternoon, the Capitals were also playing well and deserve all the credit for their win today. They came out swinging, and did not let up the entire 60 minutes this afternoon. Charlie Lindgren also got his third shutout of the season, which also happens to be the Bruins’ first shutout loss of the season.
Up next for the Caps: returning to Capital One Arena tomorrow to face the Canucks at 1:30 pm ET.