Way too much happened in Sunday afternoon’s game between the Washington Capitals and Boston Bruins. These two teams, who would play each other if the playoffs began today, played with a postseason level of intensity. But there was one big difference, which we’ll discuss at the end of this recap.
The Caps struggled early, with Patrice Bergeron opening up scoring while the Bruins were shorthanded. David Krecji made it 2-0 and the Caps had trouble getting out of there zone. Shortly before the first intermission, TJ Oshie finished off a sequence he started and Nick Backstrom helped with to make it 2-1 after twenty minutes.
The Caps scored twice on a four-minute power play in the second period — one from TJ Oshie and one from Anthony Mantha. The Bruins responded with three more goals that period: Marchand, Krecji, and Bergeron, to make it 5-3 after two periods.
Brod Morchond got an empty-netter in the third.
Caps lose.
- The Washington Capitals lead the league in opponent shorthanded goals with seven.
- There was a lot of controversy at the end of the first period, when TJ Oshie scored. John Walton reports that you can indeed get your nuggies tomorrow. Huge relief.
- Defender Justin Schultz left the game in the first period after this hit from Taylor Hall. The Caps played most of the game with five defenders.
The Hall hit on Schultz. #ALLCAPS #NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/6XERsGjGc3
— Sammi Silber (@sammisilber) April 18, 2021
- The fourth line’s frustrating pattern of offensive-zone penalties continues with Garnet Hathaway‘s relatively soft holding call. David Krecji scored shortly after the PP expired. Hathaway was later ejected from the game for a boarding hit on Jarred Tinordi. It was a bad decision by Hathaway to proceed with a hit on a player in Tinordi’s position, regardless of Tinordi making himself even more vulnerable at the last moment.
- Anthony Mantha has done something no other Caps player has ever done: scored a goal in his first four games with the team.
- Connor Clifton committed two high-sticking penalties today (Eller and Sheary). Both drew blood.
- John Carlson made a perhaps-unwise failed pinch before the second period Bergeron goal, though you could argue he was expecting the refs to call an egregiously late hit by Charlie McAvoy.
- Alex Ovechkin: no goals. He was real close on a few in the third, but Tuukka Rask stopped him on a breakaway and again on the power play.
- Tom Wilson drew a penalty in the third period after Sean Kuraly fell into him. That fall had the stink of malevolence to Jarred Tinordi, who demanded a fight. Wilson did not grant him the honor. NBC spent a few minutes deliberating on Wilson’s “malintent” on the play, then continued to characterize it as a “hit from Wilson.” It was not. Wilson did nothing wrong there, and this is coming from a vocal Wilson critic.
It was a(n awful) national broadcast so no Joe B.
when NBC starts dropping Ovi’s plus/minus stats pic.twitter.com/sLbyGibHSE
— RMNB (@russianmachine) April 18, 2021
Okay, so this was a scheduled loss. The unrested Caps played the rested Bruins on the road. That’s the excuse.
But then again, whatever’s happening in front of them, Washington’s goalies need to start saving north of 80 percent eventually. The Caps are not getting the saves they need.
And by that same coin, the Caps of April 2021 are having the same trouble with opponent odd-man breaks that the 2020 team had in the bubble, back when they had a different coach and different roster.
Put iffy goaltending and defensive breakdowns together, and you won’t always be able to outscore the deficit. I suppose that’s what we saw today.
RMNB Coverage of Caps at Bruins
Screenshot courtesy of NBC Sports
