Bruins end calendar year with loss to Capitals
If the Bruins were drawing this one up pregame, a friendly bounce off the stanchion and out to the Bruins’ Justin Brazeau at the front of the net just 81 seconds into puck drop was exactly the kind of jump start that the Bruins needed against the East-best Capitals down in Washington.
And though the Bruins got exactly that, it would be the only bounce that went their way in a calendar year-ending 3-1 loss to the Capitals at DC’s Capital One Arena.
In a hole early, the Caps’ response to the Brazeau came before the end of the opening frame, with a game-tying marker from Aliaksei Protas at the 12:05 mark of the period, while the goal that would hold as the game-winning strike came just 5:06 later and on a power-play look from Jakob Chychrun.
Going against a stout Washington defense, the B’s bid for a comeback hit a definite wall in the middle frame, as the Bruins failed to record a shot on goal over the final 8:53 of the period. (A shot on goal from Cole Koepke, promoted up to the third line for this game, with 8:54 left in the second period was the final shot of what was ultimately a six-shot period from the Black and Gold.)
That stat alone is a biting one, but it only hurts worse when considering that the Bruins had a power-play opportunity in the middle of that 8:53 span in what was an 0-for-2 day for Boston’s man advantage.
Those struggles to get the puck on goal continued, too, as the Bruins at one point had just two shots over their last 17 and a half minutes over the course of the second period and into the third period before a Nikita Zadorov interference call put the Bruins back on the penalty kill.
The Bruins would make a push with their net empty, but their best opportunity of the 6-on-5 look — a David Pastrnak one-time bomb from the flank to the right of Capitals netminder Logan Thompson — ultimately went wide and paved the way to an empty-net goal for Washington.
In addition to his 26 saves, Thompson received a significant boost in front of him, with the Capitals credited for 28 blocked shots by the final horn. Washington’s 28 blocks are tied for the most single-game blocks against the Bruins this season, previously accomplished by the Flyers back on Oct. 29.
The Bruins’ Jeremy Swayman took the loss behind a 24-of-26 performance in goal. It was Swayman’s first regulation loss since that eight-goal disaster in Winnipeg back on Dec. 10, but continued what’s been a solid recovery and push back to his ‘norm’ of late for Boston’s No. 1 goaltender, with a 4-1-1 record and .919 save percentage over that span.
The Bruins will get back to work Thursday night in New York against the Rangers.
